The second phase of evacuating street peddlers from the streets of downtown Cairo, mainly from Ramses Square, is being planned by the Cairo governorate. Last August, peddlers who used to occupy 26 July Street were temporarily moved to a multi-storey garage area at Torgoman until the construction of the Wabour Al-Talg mall at Boulaq Abul-Ela was complete. The mall is expected to provide room for around 3,000 shops. With an area of 17,000 metres, it will consist of three storeys and will have a basement and administrative floor for government use. “The peddlers in Ramses will not be moved for the moment, but we are planning to move them to a new place and are studying the best options,” said Mohamed Ayman, deputy governor of the Southern Cairo District. The governorate plans to empty the streets of Boulaq, Azbakiya, Fagala, Ramses Square, and Tawfikiya of peddlers. A street vendor in Ramses Square who asked for anonymity said he was worried about the government plans. “We chose this place as it is near the railway station. If we move to Torgoman or any other faraway place, we are going to lose most of our customers. Some of our colleagues who recently moved to Torgoman have complained about the lack of customers because there are no buses that go there on a permanent basis.” “If the new place is near a bus station, that will be fine as we will be able to make a decent living. Otherwise, we will start going back to the streets again even if we are moved,” the peddler said. “It is unacceptable to label the first phase of moving the peddlers to Torgoman a failure. Whoever says the Cairo governorate is slowing down the process of building the Wabour Al-Talg mall should go and see the construction process instead of listening to rumours,” Ayman said. “If the merchants at Torgoman do not increase their prices, the customers will come to them,” he added. Ayman commented on calls by peddlers that they should be allowed to choose where they move. “It is not permissible for peddlers to suggest where they want to move, as all their suggestions are not practical. They suggested closing Al-Galaa Street and turning it into a market, for example, or turning the Azbakiya Garden into a market, which is obviously unacceptable due to its historical importance.” According to government statistics, Moski is the most crowded district in Cairo with around 4,000 vendors occupying most of its streets. The number of street vendors in Southern Cairo is estimated at around 6,000, mainly present in the Boulaq Abul-Ela, Abdeen, and Al-Waeily districts.
