Kochi: Valsalan found himself deprived of his livelihood overnight. The 54-year-old physically challenged man was shattered to see his pavement shop demolished on Saturday morning.
The Kochi corporation officials got the tiny shop pulled down before daybreak accusing Valsalan of encroaching the pavement along the road connecting Kadavanthra and Ponnurunni.
Valsalan, who lost a leg in a road accident, had been eking out a living by selling candies and refreshments in his shop. He was forced to shift his shop to the Subhash Chandra Bose Road after his earlier shop along the Bhattathiripad Road was removed to make way for widening the road.
Valsalan said that he could not fathom why the officials targeted his shop when dozens of unauthorized establishments operated near the corporation office. Valsalan’s ward is represented by Kochi mayor Soumini Jain.
The corporation officials later said that they would provide Valsalan space to set up a shop.
