Authorities face 50 feet challenge to turn intersections safer for pedestrians

KOLKATA: The civic rules allow hawkers to occupy only one-third of a pavement, that too at least 50 feet from the nearest intersection. But in reality, hawkers have taken up every nook and cranny of city’s pavements. There have been multiple effort since 1996 to implement the rules but the hawkers have always had the last laugh. Worse still, it doesn’t seem the situation is likely to change much very soon.


“Every time the hawkers were removed, they stayed away barely for a few months. Every time they made a comeback and gradually occupied almost the entire sidewalk,” said Pratik Mukherjee, a resident of Gariahat.

The ever-increasing number of hawkers has hardly spared any intersection. The Park Street-JL Nehru Road crossing was largely free from hawkers even five years ago. But now, hawkers have taken up every bit of the intersection. “It requires a strong political will to clear a 50-feet stretch of pavement on four directions at every crossing. If KMC can do that, it will be commendable,” said Soudeep Sen, a resident of Rashbehari Avenue.

Keeping hawkers 50 feet away from a crossing would solve a lot of problems pedestrians now face. “Roads will be safer as accidents are more frequent near crossings as pedestrians are forced to walk on the carriageway,” said a senior traffic police officer. But it is easier said than done as there is no cap on the number of hawkers on the street.