Kathmandu street vendors lament lack of options following crackdown

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Every day, Menuka Basnet, 57, sets up her pushcart on the streets and back alleys of the Old Baneshwar area of Kathmandu to sell grilled corn.

She is a widow, mother to three children and the sole breadwinner in her family. She said she earns about 300 to 400 Nepalese rupees ($2.25 to $3) a day, which is hardly enough, but she has been doing this for more than a decade as she sees no other way to make a living.

It’s hard not to see the good ... done for the city. But the poor too are a part of this city. If only we could be provided an alternative, we would be happy.

Maya Gurung, president of the central committee of the Nepal Street Vendors Trade Union

"I'm at an age when I shouldn't have to do all of this, but look at me. I have no choice, and I have to hide to do my business," she said.

Her husband died of heart problems, her daughter recently underwent surgery and she herself has intestinal problems. She lost her house and property after failing to pay her loans.

"My family and I have spent days in hunger, living in the cold," she said. "Every day I come here to sell corn, but there is no business."

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All she asks for is some space to do her business properly. But she has been feeling hopeless for some time, and any hope that the local authorities or the government will intervene to improve the quality of life for her family is fading away.

After the city imposed a ban on street businesses in an attempt to improve pedestrian space and reduce congestion, street vendors have seen a sharp drop in their earnings. Most of them now have to sell their goods either early at the crack of dawn before the municipal police become active or in the evening, fearing that their goods will be confiscated.

Lal Babu Sah, a fruit seller, earns half of what he used to. He supports his family of four as the sole breadwinner, and as a street vendor, he must constantly dodge the police to make ends meet.

Despite the difficult position he is in, Sah still believes that Balendra Shah, Kathmandu's mayor, has done good.

"The city is cleaner than it used to be, and he's taking measures that contribute to the development of the country," Sah said. "We just hope his development measures will also help us poor people."

Sah added that simply providing an alternative location or time for street vendors to do their business would be enough.

"As soon as the police spot us, they seize our goods. If they just designate a space for us to do our business, we'd gladly accept it," Sah said.

Rajkumari Gurung, 55, has been in the street business for 14 years. She sells vegetables and flowers. She too acknowledged the positive influence of the mayor's efforts to clean the city. But she lamented that the benefits of these improvements are not reaching the city's economically disadvantaged residents, who are unfairly being targeted.

Because of the ban on street vending, Gurung sells her goods only in the early morning and in the evening. This has hit her sales and income.

Despite repeated attempts by street vendors to seek justice for the harassment they face from the municipal police and strict rules imposed by the metropolitan office, nothing concrete has been done to address their concerns or to manage the street businesses.

Experts, urban planners and activists have protested against the municipal crackdown on street vendors, but nearly two years later, many vendors are still forced to operate covertly either before daybreak or in the evenings.

In a Kathmandu Post interview a few months ago, Mahendra Subba, president of the nonprofit Regional and Urban Planners' Society of Nepal, highlighted the significance of street vendors for the economy of urban areas. He said that many countries in and outside Asia have a lively space for street vendors to do their business with minimal interference.

Street vendors are seen as offering affordable goods, catering to the economically disadvantaged segments of society. Moreover, countries such as Thailand and Singapore, both economically strong countries, have lively street cultures, showing that with adept management, street businesses reap fruitful results.

Street vendors in Kathmandu are also in favor of the concept of arranging an alternative space and time to conduct their businesses. They are willing to accept the mayor's efforts to change the city's landscape as long as they are not unfairly mistreated by the police and do not have to constantly hide to operate.

Nabin Manandhar, spokesman for the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, said that the trade unions of street vendors have been asked to set up a location for them to conduct their businesses.

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However, Maya Gurung, president of the central committee of the Nepal Street Vendors Trade Union, said they have not heard of any updates on their concerns from the municipal authorities.

She added that cleaning up street businesses seems to be the only concern of the officials, with little action planned to ensure the livelihood of the street vendors.

On May 16, the Supreme Court also issued an order for the Kathmandu Metropolitan City to submit an action plan for the management and alternative measures for street vendors.

Maya Gurung said this order has been ignored by the metropolitan city authorities.

"It's hard not to see the good ...done for the city. But the poor too are a part of this city. If only we could be provided an alternative, we would be happy," she said.