People forced to walk on road as stalls crowd Anandapur pavement
Times of India | 6 June 2024
Kolkata: Even as new pavements and railings have come up on either side of Anandapur Main Road near Ruby crossing off Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, pedestrians still have to jaywalk like before. The hawkers-turned vendors have almost turned the pavements into extended portions of their stalls in the area under Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s ward 108 and borough XII.
Locals in Anandapur are irked over the encroachment of a lion’s share of the pavement by stall owners. What adds to their woes is the stall owners have blocked the drain with concrete slabs to keep their wares which triggers heavy inundation in the area during rain. People have to wade through flooded streets as they don’t have access to the pavements. The residents want their right back on the pavement as jaywalking during traffic congestion in peak hours puts their life at risk.
Food stall owners have blocked the pavement by keeping tables, chairs and ‘handis’ while other stationery shop owners keep their goods on the footpath. “We have been bearing the brunt of such encroachment by local traders for the last few months. Last month KMC put up railings along the pavements but they did not rein in the traders occupying the space illegally,” rued Subrata Mukherjee, resident of a housing complex at Anandapur.
“We have told these vendors to remove the concrete slabs from the drain so that the rain water can recede. But they have turned a deaf ear. This area is always prone to waterlogging, so we had requested the KMC to solve the issue of inundation. Till now it has not been solved yet,” said another local, Surojit Santra.
Sajal Biswas, a retired govt employee, who has been living in the Anandapur area since 1997, pointed out, “Encroachment has remained a perennial problem in this area. Earlier, these stalls had spilled on to the main road, causing traffic congestions.”
A senior KMC official said, “We will inspect the spot and warn the stall owners to remove their wares from pavements. If they don’t follow the instructions, we will take strict action.”