After CM’s prod, KMC & KP conduct drive to remove hawkers around New Market

Kolkata: A day after CM Suvendu Adhikari made it abundantly clear that “nobody has the right to encroach upon footpaths and roads,” referring to the area around New Market among the most encroached neighbourhoods in the city, police and civic officials launched a drive to clear hawkers from Fenwick Bazaar Street and Dutta Lane to the eastern side of the New Market.

However, the tougher challenge lies to the west of the market on Bertram Street and Humayun Place, where hawkers occupy nearly half of the road.The ‘surprise drive’ on Saturday afternoon cleared some vendors selling vegetables on the narrow lanes but steered clear of hawkers on Hogg Street a little ahead.Civic officials said the drive was meant to send home the message to Hogg Street, Bertram Street, Humayun Place, Lindsay Street and Chowringhee Place hawkers and that if they did not clear the pavements and blacktop to move elsewhere, they would be evicted.

They were also cautioned that their goods may be seized. In fact, New Market Police Station cops on Friday did several rounds in and around New Market. Police asked hawkers to make the carriageways encroachment-free.

On Saturday afternoon, cops stood guard as the KMC payloader smashed the vegetable stalls in front of the building of the civic body that houses several departments, including solid waste management.

“This is merely the beginning. We have requested hawkers to abide by rules. If our requests fall on deaf ears, we will be compelled to conduct a comprehensive drive to remove hawkers who will be caught encroaching on carriageways and the lion’s share of the pavements in and around the market,” said a civic official.“The CM has made it clear pavements are for pedestrians and no one has the right to forcibly encroach on them.

The hawkers around New Market have been told several times to mend their ways but they haven’t. On the contrary, there has been an influx of hawkers, who currently occupy over half the road. This needs to stop,” said the official.Adhikari particularly mentioned about the encroachments in and around New Market, where he said even motorcycles could barely move.Last month, the SS Hogg Market Traders’ Association sent a letter to the CM, congratulating him for assuming office and making a fervent plea to stop the hawker menace around the 152-year-old heritage market. The association has decided to keep a watchful eye on the emerging situation before launching a movement against the rampant encroachment.“In the letter, we wrote about the grabbing of car parking areas allotted by KMC and hawkers leaving behind their goods wrapped in combustible plastic ,” said the trade body’s general secretary, Uday Kumar Shaoo.