Street traders announce phase-wise movement against KMC

The Joint Self-employed Street Traders Struggle Committee has announced a phase-wise movement against the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), putting forth a seven-point charter of demands.

Organizing a press conference here today, the Committee declared that it will wage a protest movement from January 29 to February 11 under various phases. Accordingly, the Committee will hand over a memorandum to the KMC on January 29, will organize a sit-in and picketing along with public demonstration at the KMC office on January 30, will submit a memorandum to the Kathmandu District Administration on January 31, said Maya Gurung, the President of Nepal Self-employed Trade Workers Association.

According to her, they will hand over memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs on February 1, to the Prime Minister's Office on February 2, to the CPN (Unified Socialist) party on February 4, to the CPN (Maoist Centre) on February 5, to the Nepali Congress on February 6 and to the CPN (UML) on February 7.

Likewise, the Struggle Committee will hold a protest demonstration with wider people's participation, clanging plates with spoons and also picket the KMC office on February 11, said Kumar Sapkota, President of Nepal Independent Street Trade Workers Organisation.

He said a seven-point demand has been submitted to KMC with the announcement of the programmes of protest.

Returning the goods of traders seized by the KMC in different periods, making arrangement of goods in cheap price for the citizens by running 'fair price market', in all wards of KMC, allowing the entrepreneurs to run their business in the existing places by determining appropriate time until alternative arrangements are made, are the demands of the struggle committee.

Similarly, the struggle committee demanded to initiate activities related to labour management by establishing labour desk at KMC immediately and to immediately form a high powered management taskforce under coordination of mayor and deputy-mayor comprising stakeholders including trade unions representatives associated with the struggle committee, said Chairperson of National Self-Employed Traders Association, Leela Bahadur Dahal.

Gurung shared that they would announce additional programme of agitation if the bodies concerned did not pay any interest to address demands of traders, adding they have wanted a long-term solution by holding discussion.

Similarly, Sapkota demanded that the KMC should bring self-employed street traders under the ambit of tax after managing the street business.

Although municipal police had expressed commitment to return the seized goods of traders, the traders have been returning empty-handed, said Chairperson Dahal.