16 August 2010 10:45 am
Several illegal pavement hawkers along the main roads in the Panadura town were removed today by the Panadura Urban Council and the Road Development Authority with the help of the Panadura police.
The move which is part of the government’s clean up efforts against illegal structures sparked tension between the officials and the hawkers who urged the authorities to reconsider as hundreds of families would be forced into starvation without a livelihood.
Secretary of the Panadura United Traders Association, Sanjeewa Perera said that fruits and other commodities were all destroyed due to the haphazard removing of the stalls.
Meanwhile a senior official of the Urban Council said that the traders concerned would be provided alternate locations to run their businesses.