Hawker life on the edge of the Marina: when the beach was shut off

As the Marina beach is re-opened once more to the public after the state relaxed regulations for the pandemic, the hawkers will also move in there.

For many of them, this is where they earn a living though there are many others who mess around the sands.

For over a year, these hawkers have been shut off from the Marina due to the ban here. But in recent weeks, as people found ways to stroll along the Loop Road or hang around the pavement here, some hawkers popped up around the Light House zone.

And in the past weeks, dozens of them did business – selling snacks and playthings. And they made some money because they attracted beach-goers who could not resist the idea of a Marina outing and enjoying either ice cream or a sliced raw mango.

While some hawkers are from the seaside colonies, others are from outside, here to eke a living.

The city civic body has charted a plan to grant to registered hawkers pre-gab hawker stalls that have remained un-opened but stand on the sands due to the pandemic regulations. But this move has also run into a challenge.