Tension erupts in Vijayawada’s Besant Road as street vendors face evictions; CPI(M), CITU stage protest

Tension prevailed on Besant Road in Vijayawada on Tuesday (July 7, 2026) after municipal and town planning officials launched an eviction drive against street vendors, leading to protests by hawkers and leaders of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The hawkers staged a sit-in and later took out a rally from Raghavayya Park to Tummidi Brothers junction, alleging that authorities had removed vendors despite many possessing old identity cards and proof of registration payments. They demanded that the eviction drive be halted until officials verified the documents.

The protestors alleged that thousands of vendors have been earning their livelihoods on Besant Road for decades and claimed that officials had failed to issue identity cards despite collecting registration fees. They demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and immediate intervention by the State government to stop the eviction drive and safeguard the livelihoods of street vendors.

CITU leaders accused the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and Town Planning Department of violating the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, by evicting vendors without following due process. They insisted that no hawker should be removed until surveys were completed, identity cards issued and legal procedures followed.

Senior CPI(M) leader Ch. Babu Rao joined the protest and urged the Municipal Commissioner to resolve the issue through discussions with vendors. He warned that the CPI(M) and CITU would intensify their agitation, including laying siege to the Municipal Corporation office, if the eviction drive continued.