Cops keep shopping hub pavements hawker-free

KOLKATA: In a special drive, the Kolkata Police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation special squads on Sunday started removing hawkers’ stalls from the Gariahat pavements. With revellers thronging the streets, and spilling on to the road because of blocked pavements, the drive was aimed at making pandal-hopping safer.



The Kolkata Police had earlier flagged their concerns to the KMC saying that from Sashthi to Dashami, the clogged pavements in Gariahat and Hatibagan need to be cleared. “Every year, we set up barricades to channel traffic along the pavements. This is imperative to allow uninterrupted vehicular movement during the Puja days. However, given the condition of the pavements in Gariahat and Hatibagan, attempting this would have been futile unless the sidewalk is cleared,” an officer said.

The KMC and police had met the hawkers’ representatives and impressed upon them the need to remove their stalls for the five Puja days.




“It was done after the police had a discussion with us. It was decided that no hawker will be allowed in areas like Gariahat and Hatibagan during the period between Panchami and Dashami. There are around 4,000 hawkers in the Gariahat-Rashbehari Avenue area and 1,400 in Hatibagan,” said Shaktiman Ghosh, general secretary, Hawker Sangram Committee.

On Sunday, special squads began to dismantle and demolish the makeshift bamboo structures at Gariahat after 2:30 pm. “It was earlier decided that the hawkers would empty the footpaths and remove their stalls by 4pm on Sunday, both in Gariahat and Hatibagan. In Gariahat, police wanted them to leave sooner because of the swelling crowds. In Hatibagan, the hawkers left on their own,” a senior officer said.

In Gariahat, police said, the hawkers had emptied their stalls but the makeshift structures remained which neccesiated removal.

“In this zone, even parking is not allowed below the flyovers on Puja days. Free-flowing traffic in Gariahat is critical because it may have a ripple effect on Gariahat Road (south) and Rashbehari Avenue,” an officer said.

Similar exercises are being taken up along Rashbehari Avenue from Triangular Park to Gariahat to de-clog the pavements. The operation continued sporadically till the zone was clear enough for people to pass through.

KMC officials, however, insisted that this wasn’t a one-off drive. It will continue even after the festival.

Under the northern flank of the Gariahat flyover, police have also set up a makeshift control room. This zone is critical for the police for two top-draw Pujas on either flank — Ekdalia Evergreen and Singhi Park.

Times View

Just barricades are not enough. All pavements should be kept free from encroachments to ensure free traffic flow and avert accidents. The city cops and the KMC have taken a step towards the right direction this Puja.