More than 500 merchants and shop employees blocked traffic at Cemented Road Junction in Royapuram on Wednesday, demanding the removal of street vendors from the pedestrian plaza footpaths on Monegar Choultry Road, commonly known as MC Road, ahead of the Deepavali shopping season.
The protest was organised by members of the Madras Washermenpet Cut Piece Cloth Merchants Association and local shop employees. The road roko caused significant traffic disruption in the area as demonstrators sought immediate action against what they described as unauthorised street vending along both sides of the plaza.
Police personnel and Royapuram MLA K Vijay Dhamu reached the location and held talks with the protesters. After the discussions, Dhamu said vendors would be relocated from MC Road after Deepavali. He said the temporary permission for vendors to operate until the festival had been given on humanitarian grounds because many of them were economically vulnerable and had taken high-interest loans to establish their stalls.
“Vendors are underprivileged individuals who set up stalls using high-interest loans,” Dhamu said, adding that alternative spaces would be arranged for them after the festival. He said authorities were examining the status of existing shops and stalls before arriving at a permanent solution.
According to Dhamu, 133 street vendors were allotted shops on MC Road in 2011, while 29 vendors who were left out of that process are now seeking space. He also said some vendors who had received allotments were allegedly operating additional roadside stalls through relatives. This had increased the number of street stalls in the area to nearly 100, he said.
The MLA said authorities were investigating issues including complex occupancy arrangements, unauthorised resale of shops and abandoned units. The findings are expected to inform the administration’s decision on vendor relocation and the future use of the available commercial spaces.
The merchants cited a 2020 Madras High Court verdict and Greater Chennai Corporation guidelines that designate MC Road as a non-vending zone. They said the road had been treated similarly to Khader Nawaz Khan Road and Pondy Bazaar, where restrictions on street vending have also been identified by the civic administration.
R Mohamed Farook, secretary of the merchants’ association, said Wednesday’s demonstration was the group’s second protest in 10 days. He said vendors were removed from the area on October 7 and 8 following an earlier demonstration but returned on October 13. Around 2,000 traders closed their shops until 12.30 pm on Wednesday in support of the demand.
Association president Ashok Kumar said merchants had faced financial strain since the Covid-19 pandemic and during three-and-a-half years of pedestrian plaza work. He said roadside stalls were blocking access to permanent shops and restricting the movement of customers and vehicles during the peak festive shopping period.
The immediate dispute now centres on how the civic authorities will balance enforcement of the reported non-vending designation with the relocation of vendors and the review of existing shop allotments. The relocation is expected to take place after Deepavali, according to the assurance given by the Royapuram MLA.
