Hawkers reclaim space as ‘reclaim night’ protests keep cops on toes
Times of India | 26 August 2024
12 Kolkata: Exactly two months after the action by police and civic authorities against unauthorized encroachment by hawkers in the city’s prominent hawking zones, most have returned. With cops busy tackling protests across the city against the RG Kar rape-murder, hawkers who had been removed have reclaimed slices of pavements on Sunday.
This time, the encroachers have not only extended stalls beyond the permissible space but have also started taking up carriageways.
Monojit Chakraborty (65), a resident of Bhowanipur, said hawkers started returning since Rakhi Purnima, a week ago. “We were happy on June 27 when the permanent structures made by hawkers along Asutosh Mukherji Road were removed by cops. Unfortunately, they all came back with plastic covers and there are fresh bamboo structures everywhere,” he said.
Earlier, cops from local police stations would keep regular checks and carry out surprise raids to ensure that hawkers didn’t return. But a big chunk of the force has now been diverted to handle the protests and the law-and-order situation in the city.
At Gariahat on Sunday evening, hawkers had completely taken over pavements on both flanks of Rashbehari Avenue. “I come here for puja shopping but there is hardly any space to walk down the pavements now,” said Soma Dey from Baghajatin.
An officer from New Market police station who has been on ‘protest duty’ almost everyday for the past 10 days said several hawkers on SN Banerjee Road, Bertram Street, Humayun Place, Free School Street and other pockets of New Market were back to encroaching. “We have received reports of hawkers returning to encroach on the pavements from where they were pushed back. Since there are so many protests happening all over the city, we are unable to spare personnel to check on the hawkers,” the officer said.
TOI found several hawkers on SN Banerjee Road, Lindsay Street and Free School Street have extended their stalls. “Earlier, cops would carry out surprise raids. But for the past few days, cops have not been patrolling. So, we decided to extend our stalls. Durga Puja is close and it is a good time for business,” said Mohammed Arshad, a vendor selling garments for women near Regal Cinema.
On Brabourne Road, too, hawkers are back on the pavements and have taken up a part of the carriageway.
“We had removed the hawkers from the thoroughfares and regulated them on the pavements. We were making regular rounds of the place to ensure they didn’t return. But for the past few days, we have been busy tackling protests on Howrah bridge and other pockets. Hawkers have taken advantage of that,” said an officer of Burrabazar police station.
At Chandni, Dalhousie and Ganesh Chandra Aven-ue, too, hawkers are back encroaching on the pavements.