Avenida Avellaneda: they prevented the installation of manteros with an operation at dawn

After Three Kings Day, this Thursday Avellaneda avenue and its surroundings They woke up full of police, inspectors from the Government Control Agency (AGC) and the City’s Public Space. The objective: prevent manteros from being installed in that area of ​​Flores that, for weeks, was invaded by illegal sales.

According to the Buenos Aires government, in the area they had installed around 2,000 manteros, especially in Bogotá, Cuenca, Argerich and Aranguren streets, among others. In addition to selling all kinds of products, from clothing to toys, there were illegal street food stalls.

The other concern was the postcard that was seen for these holidays, with thousands of people crowded around Avellaneda Avenue, where they went to buy Christmas and Three Kings gifts. A dangerous postcard at a time when coronavirus cases are on the rise.

In this context, this Thursday the Buenos Aires government carried out an operation “to recover the public space collapsed due to illegal street sales”,

“The priority of the Government of the City is to take care of the health of the people and in that sense the agglomerations represent a risk that cannot be allowed at this time of the health situation,” they indicated from the Executive in a statement.

The invasion of manteros affects those close to 5,000 legally established merchants in the zone. And, according to the authorities, it caused a drop in store sales of almost 30% compared to 2019.

Inspectors from the Government Control Agency (AGC), the Ministry of Public Space, police from Commune 7 and 10, Traffic agents and members of the Motorized Police and personnel from the Superintendency of Urban Order participated in the operation.

From early on, they removed the adhesive tapes with which the manteros reserve their spaces from the sidewalks. Later, the police officers stayed on the avenue and the surrounding streets, to prevent vendors from settling in.

The previous operation had been on December 22, after situations of violence by groups of manteros against merchants were recorded.

These days the complaints from neighbors by cars that are badly parked or double-queued or that obstructed garages and ochavas Also due to the amount of garbage that was scattered on the streets or outside the containers, according to the complaints received by line 147 from the City Government.

As part of this Thursday’s operation, the staff of the Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygiene reinforced cleaning from an area considered high impact. 40 sweepers, 4 collection trucks, 5 pressure washers and 3 mechanical sweeping trucks participated.

The first major operations against the manteros on Avellaneda Avenue were carried out between January and April 2016, when they were evicted by the Police by order of the City Prosecutor’s Office. Around 250 of these street vendors regularized their situation and agreed to work on a property in Perón and Boulogne Sur Mer provided by the Buenos Aires government.

NS