Hawkers overrun Park Street, Kolkata civic body in wait-and-watch mode

KOLKATA: Hawkers have started taking over the pavements of Park Street, Kolkata’s oldest hip-and happening place that has, till recently, been free of the menace that holds the rest of the city in a vicelike grip.
A stretch of the pavement in front of Park Street Post Office has been overrun by hawkers, who have grabbed nearly two-thirds of pedestrian space. A bulk of the encroachment, locals said, had happened in the past month.
“Some hawkers used to sell paper, envelopes, glue-stick and other stationery goods in front of the Park Street PO. Then, last month, they suddenly expanded their business. The stall size used to be less than 10-12 square feet but the vendors rap-idly increased that. They now occupy 80-180 square feet,” a resident of an apartment block adjoining the post office said.
He, along with neighbours, reported the matter to both Park Street Police Station and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters. A group of Park Street residents last week lodged a complaint with the KMC civil engineering and building departments, requesting the civic brass to clear the encroachment on the pavement beside the post office. But there has been no action to clear the encroachment yet.
A KMC official said they were aware of the issue raised by residents. “We need to discuss it with the police before initiating any action to remove the encroachment,” he said. The footpath on either flank of Park Street is 23 feet wide but the space in front of the post office is constricted by the steps that lead to it PO as well as pillar boxes on either side of the pavement. So residents have only about 15 feet of the sidewalk to use. Now, with stalls occupying 10 feet, a space of only five feet is left for pedestrians. There are eight stalls; the two large ones are 18 feet×10 feet and the the smallest one is 10 feet×8 feet.
Rajan Gupta, an employee of a private firm on Park Street, alleged he was harassed by a hawker in front of the post office when he protested against the encroachment. “I am amazed at the civic and police inaction,” Gupta said.
A food hawker of the area conceded that a section of hawkers selling papers and stationery items started increasing stall dimensions last month without heeding locals’ protests.
An attempt by hawkers to encroach Park Street opposite Asiatic Society near the Chowringhee end a decade ago was nipped in the bud after the KMC cracked down following a TOI report. Another attempt was made at the Free School Street-Park Street intersection in 2011 but, this time, there was no action, leading to hawker takeover of the pavement leading to Free School Street. But the rest of Park Street has remained encroachment free. So this latest attempt has left everyone worried about the fate of Kolkata’s only major hawker-free thoroughfare.
“I fear Park Street will turn into another Brabourne Road if we can't stop encroachment now,” a Park Street restaurateur said. Another restaurateur feared other hawkers would follow and take over Park Street if the initial takeover was not resisted. “Park Street is Kolkata’s showpiece. Every traveller visits the street. What impression would they have if the heritage zone is swamped by hawkers?” he asked.