Kerala - Kochi   

Informal labour sector unaware about laws: study

KOCHI: A study on the various labour sectors such as street vendors, cobblers, autorickshaw drivers and meat shop owners has shed light into the lacunae surrounding laws controlling them.

The Livelihood Report of the city, prepared as part of the Law Liberty and Livelihood project, was released here recently by Deputy Mayor C.K. Manisankar.

The project is being implemented by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) and Centre for Civil Society, New Delhi.

“The study was taken up following the implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.Even though JNNURM is aimed at empowering the informal segments in the urban society, nowhere are these sections mentioned,” said D. Dhanuraj, chairman of CPPR.

The study had been done with the aim of documenting the livelihood regulations and entry-level barriers in the informal sector in 63 cities across the country.

Releasing the project report, Mr. Manisankar said that municipalities and local self-government bodies should be given power to take necessary and speedy action in accordance with the local demands.

Talking at the release function, Gregory Placid, director of SAHAYI - Centre for Collective Action and Learning, said that the informal sector could be treated like a component of the service sector.

Denial of employment possibilities could cultivate anti-social and criminal tendencies in the society, he said.

In his address, Zakir Hussain, president of the Kalamaserry Autorickshaw Drivers Cooperative Society, said that there is a need for timely revision of laws, especially those regarding the issuing of licence for autorickshaw drivers.

“When a study of similar nature was done at New Delhi, it was found that those employed in informal sectors are exploited by the officials because of the former’s ignorance about the law,” said Mr. Dhanuraj.

The CPPR is now planning to organise lobbying among policy-makers to make more effective changes in legislation.

“Along with this, we are planning to implement the Nagar Raj Bill, which was tabled at the Parliament. This is about decentralisation of urban areas,” he said.

The bill suggested forming area sabhas comprising areas covered by 4 or 5 polling booths and ward committees by including the elected local body councillor in it.

“The study is offering no solution for the issues of street vendors, but suggests that solutions should come from concerted efforts from the elected representatives and street vendors. They could work on ideas like finding a space, like Manappattiparambu, for street vendors. These could be done by area sabhas,” he said.

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