By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent in Kathmandu

Over 70 Tibetan street vendors doing petty business during morning and evening around the holy Boudanath Stupa were not allowed to do so since June 15 by the Shri Tamang Kalyan Guthi, the management committee of the Stupa and it has badly affected the livelihood of those Tibetans, some of whom depend on daily earning from their small businesses like selling clothes, baklep (Tibetan bread), tea, jewelries, rosaries etc.

Boudanath Stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites and the biggest stupa in Nepal. These vendors do business only for couple of hours in the morning and evening when the shops are not open. Today, they came to request Mr. Lhoudup Dorji, welfare officer, to look into the matter and help them. Earlier, they have requested directly to the management committee to allow them to continue with their business; they also suggested that they would pay land rent but their request was rejected.

One of the vendors said, "I depend totally on the income from my morning and evening business, with that income I have to support my household, pay school fees for my children and pay house rent, so this ban has hampered my income severely and I am facing big difficulty".

It is said that this ban is not just for Tibetan vendors but also for all other street vendors, butter lamp sellers and beggars. The Management Committee have issued a public notice that reads, "to keep the circumambulation path around Boudanath Stupa clean, it has been decided that those who have been displaying merchandises in front of shops are no longer allowed to display merchandises openly on the path because these are causing inconvenience to tourist and worshippers circumambulating the stupa, the decision has also been fully supported by house owner around the stupa; this is to notify that all street vendors have to move their shop from 15 June 2006, if anyone opens shops against this notice then all their merchandises would be confiscated".