Licensed street vendors operating in Fort Kochi have received an assurance that enforcement action will not be taken against them, after the Kerala State Street Vendors Workers Federation protested notices issued by the revenue authorities during a drive against unauthorised vending.
The Kochi area committee of the federation submitted a memorandum to the Fort Kochi Sub Collector, arguing that vendors holding valid licences from the Kochi Corporation had also been served notices. The federation said it did not oppose the removal of unauthorised street vendors, but that action against licensed workers had created concern among the vending community.
According to the federation, the notices were issued as part of action to remove unauthorised roadside vendors from Fort Kochi. The organisation said licensed vendors should not be displaced before the Kochi Corporation completes the process of identifying vending zones and shifts recognised vendors to suitable locations.
The federation said removing vendors with valid licences before that process is completed would affect their livelihoods. It sought protection for licensed vendors while the civic body finalises the vending zones and determines where recognised street traders can continue operating.
The Sub Collector assured the representatives, according to the federation, that action would not be taken against vendors operating with valid licences. The assurance followed the submission of the memorandum at the Sub Collector’s office in Fort Kochi.
Workers reached the office in a procession from Kunnumpuram. Police stopped the procession in front of the Revenue Divisional Office, after which a meeting was held. District vice-president M. Ummar inaugurated the meeting, while Kochi area president V.K. Abdul Aziz presided. Secretary K.B. Salam and Muhammad Abbas also spoke.
The dispute places the immediate enforcement drive alongside the Kochi Corporation’s pending responsibility to complete the process of designating vending zones. For vendors, the distinction between licensed and unauthorised trading is central to whether enforcement action could interrupt their work. The federation has asked that the existing licences be recognised until suitable vending zones are established and licensed traders are relocated where necessary.
The assurance attributed to the Sub Collector addresses the immediate concern raised by the federation, but the report does not specify the number of vendors who received notices, the locations of the proposed vending zones, or a deadline for completing the zoning process. The next administrative step is therefore linked to the corporation’s completion of vending-zone arrangements and the treatment of currently licensed vendors during that transition.
