During a protest of street vendors in Srinagar, three of them jumped into river Jhelum from Amira Kadal and tried to attempt suicide as they were not being allowed to use foothpaths to earn their livelihood.
However many people immediately swung into action and saved these street vendors. The injured venders were rushed to SMHS hospital.
Earlier the street vendors of Amira Kadal and Hari Singh High Street, Srinagar held protest at Amira Kadal bridge against IG traffic and SMC Department for not allowing them to use footpaths.
They said most of the street vendors are highly qualified but jobless youth. “The state government has failed to create employment opportunities for the unemployed youth in the state, we opted for street vending to earn livelihood and to support our families but we are not even allowed this,” they said.
The protesters said that the traffic department and SMC department had asked them to vacate the footpaths but they have not any option where they can earn.
“If government is not willing to provide us space at footpaths, let it provide us some alternative place in the city where we can earn livelihood from vending,” the protesting vendors said.
