Despite repeated drives, hawkers back on Salt Lake pavements
TNN | Updated: Apr 14, 2019, 11:55 IST
Hawkers have put up their stalls in front of Purta Bhavan (top) and Bidyut BhavanKOLKATA: The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation’s attempts to thwart hawkers from encroaching the pavements of Salt Lake seems to have failed till now with hawkers doing business openly, taking over a number of footpaths in the township.
It was just before the last book fair — held in the last week of January at Central Park — that all hawkers were removed from the pavements surrounding Central Park at Karunamoyee. Just about two months down the line, the hawkers have returned and are doing full-fledged business.
TOI has found that several hawkers are back on the footpaths in front of buildings like Mayukh Bhavan, Purta Bhavan, Bikash Bhavan and others in the ‘office para’ near Karunamoyee bus terminus and on the pavements inside many blocks.
The Bidhannagar Hawkers’ Union, which has 659 registered hawkers, had held a number of agitations protesting against eviction of the hawkers by the civic authorities in the township.
During the U-17 FIFA World Cup, when a number of matches were played at Salt Lake stadium in 2017, the civic authorities had first initiated the eviction drive. Since then, the civic authorities have often taken up eviction drives to keep the footpaths free from encroachments. But, the hawkers kept playing cat-and-mouse game with the civic authorities, returning to the same spots time and again.
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has remained firm on its stand that no encroachments would be allowed on the footpaths and pavements in the township and said that drive would continue to make sure that footpaths remain clean and free from unauthorised encroachments.
“The pavements of Salt Lake should remain free from encroachments. The authorities concerned can work out a plan to develop a building or a separate zone where hawkers can be rehabilitated,” said Bidhannagar Welfare Association secretary Sarat Mullick.
The hawkers’ union are firm on their stand. “The civic body cannot conduct eviction drive. A vendors’ panel was supposed to be set up to look after the issue as to where hawkers could be relocated. A survey is supposed to be done along with hawkers’ representatives to find out alternative places in Salt Lake where hawkers can be relocated,” said a member of Hawker Sangram Committee.
It was just before the last book fair — held in the last week of January at Central Park — that all hawkers were removed from the pavements surrounding Central Park at Karunamoyee. Just about two months down the line, the hawkers have returned and are doing full-fledged business.
TOI has found that several hawkers are back on the footpaths in front of buildings like Mayukh Bhavan, Purta Bhavan, Bikash Bhavan and others in the ‘office para’ near Karunamoyee bus terminus and on the pavements inside many blocks.
The Bidhannagar Hawkers’ Union, which has 659 registered hawkers, had held a number of agitations protesting against eviction of the hawkers by the civic authorities in the township.
During the U-17 FIFA World Cup, when a number of matches were played at Salt Lake stadium in 2017, the civic authorities had first initiated the eviction drive. Since then, the civic authorities have often taken up eviction drives to keep the footpaths free from encroachments. But, the hawkers kept playing cat-and-mouse game with the civic authorities, returning to the same spots time and again.
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation has remained firm on its stand that no encroachments would be allowed on the footpaths and pavements in the township and said that drive would continue to make sure that footpaths remain clean and free from unauthorised encroachments.
“The pavements of Salt Lake should remain free from encroachments. The authorities concerned can work out a plan to develop a building or a separate zone where hawkers can be rehabilitated,” said Bidhannagar Welfare Association secretary Sarat Mullick.
The hawkers’ union are firm on their stand. “The civic body cannot conduct eviction drive. A vendors’ panel was supposed to be set up to look after the issue as to where hawkers could be relocated. A survey is supposed to be done along with hawkers’ representatives to find out alternative places in Salt Lake where hawkers can be relocated,” said a member of Hawker Sangram Committee.
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