KATHMANDU, Jan 31: Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Thapa has said that the livelihoods of workers who depend on street vending in Kathmandu will not be taken away.
Speaking at a programme in Kathmandu constituency no. 4 on Saturday, Thapa pledged that during the NC’s tenure, an environment would be created in which Nepali youths would not be forced to go abroad for employment.
PHOTOS: Street vendors gherao KMC office
Thapa’s remarks appeared to be directed at the actions of former Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayor Balendra Shah (Balen), who had imposed a ban on all kinds of street vending during his term. Shah has filed his candidacy from Jhapa constituency no. 5 for the upcoming House of Representatives (HoR) election.
Thapa also assured that the future of those selling goods on Kathmandu’s sidewalks would be protected, stressing that no one’s means of survival would be undermined. “In Kathmandu, the livelihood of labourers who earn their living by working on the footpaths will not be snatched away,” he said.
