CAIRO: A total of 3,000 street vendors in Helwan district, south of Cairo, were removed Thursday in a magnified security campaign, and were relocated, Youm7 reported.
Some 1,N’160 relocated vendors received booths in their new place in Toshka district and Ein Helwan Market.
Forces deployed nearby Helwan Metro Station to make sure the vendors would not return.
A crackdown on street vendors, under which dozens have been removed from streets, started in Cairo in August 2014. The displaced vendors were relocated to the Torgoman Garage; however many of them lament the new relocation as “far from the pedestrian flow.”
In August 2015, the Giza governorate followed Cairo’s footsteps and began displacing street vendors.
The government has stated that the main aim of the crackdown is to restore order and end traffic congestion that prevails in Egypt’s streets, often near metro stations.
Another governmental bid that took place few months ago was banning car idling or parking in certain areas, including downtown.
Cairo governorate has also recently banned the motorized tricycles (known as Tok Tok) from moving in downtown Cairo and surrounding suburbs, as well as imposed a 1,500 EGP ($191) on violators.