Abuse of power and authority for victimising vendors on charges of violating standing laws on encroachment of footpaths is as good an offence as is the encroachment of foot paths itself in any city, town or a village and this offence has attracted punishment to officials of Baramulla Municipal Council accused of vandalising goods of some vendors in Baramulla town. Removal of handcarts and mobile shops is the action allowed under rules but vandalisation of goods of vendors is not at all permissible under standing rules against the encroachers of footpaths and roads in any city or town either in Jammu & Kashmir or elsewhere in the country. Had the video showing officials of Baramulla Municipal Council vandalising goods of vendors not gone viral on social media sites, the accused officials of Municipal Council Baramulla won’t have been punished the way they have been punished now. Suspending the accused officials and directing Executive Officer Municipal Council Baramulla to recover the losses from his officials involved in the act is not enough but the issue demands a thorough review of the actions permissible under the standing rules for the purposes of neutralising scope for any victimization of the footpath occupants during anti-encroachment drives by the officials of civic bodies in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. It is gratifying to note the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and civic bodies of many towns have removed vegetables and fruit vendors very smoothly from highways and inter district routes without any resistance from the encroachers.
While zero tolerance against the encroachment of footpaths and roads is a welcome move but at the same time zero tolerance of similar intensity is also needed against abuse of power and authority to the extent of vandalisation of goods of vendors by officials of civic bodies under the garb of anti-encroachment drives in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. By all standards of understandabilities good conduct and behaviour by both the vendors and as well as the law enforcers of civic bodies of cities and towns is the only solution to the increasing trends and tendencies of footpath occupancy and road encroachment.
What matters is the fact that vendors are on hunt for livelihood job opportunities and in a scenario of increasing joblessness triggered by back to back two covid lockdown in last two years the people rendered jobless have turned to the business of vending in Kashmir like their contemporaries in many states and union territories of the country. However vendors becoming victims of covid hit joblessness does not give them the licensee and liberty to occupy footpaths and roads which ultimately triggers traffic chaos in Srinagar city and most of the towns in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division. While zero tolerance against the encroachment of footpaths and roads is a welcome move but at the same time zero tolerance of similar intensity is also needed against abuse of power and authority to the extent of vandalisation of goods of vendors by officials of civic bodies under the garb of anti-encroachment drives in cities and towns across Jammu & Kashmir. By all standards of understandabilities good conduct and behaviour by both the vendors and as well as the law enforcers of civic bodies of cities and towns is the only solution to the increasing trends and tendencies of footpath occupancy and road encroachment.
