Hundreds of hawkers gathered outside the CDA headquarters in protest against the cancellation of licenses of stalls and kiosks in parks. The protesters shouted slogans outside the gate of the CDA headquarters.
The CDA had recently initiated a new auction for the stalls in the parks, which infuriated the hawkers who had already been running their businesses in the parks for the last thirty to forty years.
The old stall holders and their licenses had already been canceled in the parks, according to the CDA. The hawkers demanded that their licenses be reinstated and that they should not be evicted from the parks.
The hawkers complained that big landlords were now entering the bidding for the stalls, which would make it difficult for them to compete. They also claimed that the new bidders were offering exorbitant prices for the stalls, which they would not be able to afford.
The CDA has been requested by the protesters to issue new licenses to the old stall holders first, and not to cancel their licenses, which would ruin the businesses of thousands of people who depend on them for their livelihoods.
The hawkers said that they have no alternative source of income and that taking away their stalls would force them into poverty. They also appealed to the CDA to reconsider its decision and not to snatch their livelihoods away from them.
The Chairman CDA has been urged to review the situation and to take into account the concerns of the protesters.
Source: Pro Pakistani