Objection Raised Over Encroachment Removal Drive at Mukherjee Chowk

I strongly condemn the Udaipur Municipal Corporation's action of removing women fruit and vegetable vendors who have been earning their livelihood for years outside the Mukherjee Chowk Vegetable Market.

We are not opposed to efforts aimed at improving the city's traffic management and ensuring better urban planning. Any initiative to make the city more organized is welcome. However, the question arises as to why this drive has begun only from Mukherjee Chowk.

There are several locations across Udaipur where traffic congestion is even more severe than at Mukherjee Chowk, including Delhi Gate, Teej Ka Chowk, and other busy areas. Yet, similar action has not been taken uniformly in those locations. This raises concerns about the selective implementation of the encroachment removal campaign.

People from all communities conduct business at Mukherjee Chowk, but it is also true that a significant number of women from the minority community have been supporting their families by selling fruits and vegetables there for many years. When enforcement actions appear to disproportionately affect areas associated with the livelihoods or religious and social activities of the minority community, it naturally creates an atmosphere of suspicion and dissatisfaction.

Recent incidents—including the parking issue outside Imrat Rasool Baba, the controversy surrounding the Chetak Mosque area, the alleged one-sided action in Naga Nagri, and now the removal of fruit and vegetable vendors from Mukherjee Chowk—have contributed to a growing perception among sections of the public that matters involving the minority community are not being handled with equal treatment. Such perceptions are not conducive to social harmony.

I urge the Rajasthan Government and the Municipal Corporation to ensure that any enforcement drive is carried out fairly and uniformly across the entire city without discrimination. Furthermore, these economically vulnerable women vendors should not be displaced without providing proper rehabilitation and an alternative means of livelihood.

While improving traffic and promoting urban development are important objectives, the administration must also safeguard the livelihoods of the poor, uphold constitutional principles of equality, and preserve communal harmony.