75-year-old woman street vendor dies during Chennai Corporation's eviction drive on NSC Bose Road

CHENNAI: A 75-year-old woman hawker, who had a heated argument with the Greater Chennai Corporation officials who came to evict her and others from NSC Bose Road, collapsed and died on Thursday morning. The incident spread tension in the area, as other street vendors alleged high-handedness by officials that led to her death.

The woman, identified as Krishnaveni, pleaded and argued with the officials, asking them not to send them away. Krishnaveni told them that she was eking out a living by selling fruits on the road margins for more than five decades. During the emotional exchange, she collapsed and was rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.

According to sources, the postmortem examination will be conducted on Friday.

"Most of them have been hawking for decades. During the eviction drive around 11 am, she was asked to remove the make-shift shop and an argument ensued between the civic official and her. She was holding the tray in her hand, as she wanted to prevent the fruits from being seized. During the struggle, she felt unconscious and collapsed," alleged her relative.

When contacted, a senior Corporation official said, "The local police, which have started investigations, will handle the case."

The sellers alleged that a similar incident happened when another aged women seller was hit by a bus when an official chased her during an eviction drive.

"The officials use a heavy-handed approach with us though some of us are officially identified as vendors by the Corporation itself. We keep the place clean which is otherwise used by pedestrians to urinate,” alleged Bhagyam, a hawker on Broadway.