55 feet of carriageway now open for use on Bertram Street
Times of India | 16 January 2025
12 Kolkata: In a major anti-encroachment drive, cops from New Market police station on Wednesday reclaimed Bertram Street, which was gradually being taken over by a growing number of hawkers. On an action-packed day, a large group of cops conducted a surprise raid in the morning and started pushing back hawkers who were encroaching on the carriageways. Now, about 55ft of the 60ft road is open for use by motorists.
The cops on Wednesday were in no mood to relent and remained stationed on Bertram Street throughout the day, offering little opportunity for the hawkers to play a cat-and-mouse game with them. Although a section of hawkers tried to resist at the beginning, the cops were adamant about seizing the wares if they failed to remove them from the carriageways.
As the drive yielded results, the KMC-registered car parking agencies were called to ensure that motorists kept their cars in the designated parking spaces on Bertram Street. Later in the evening, cops continued their vigil in the area, making it clear that under no circumstances would hawkers be allowed to encroach on the carriageways.
Though New Market traders welcomed the surprise drive, they were sceptical about its long-term impact. "This is not the first time that the cops cleared Bertram Street of encroachment. But, after a while, the ousted hawkers came back, sometimes in larger numbers. We demand a sustained drive by the cops and a sustained vigil by the KMC and the town vending committee (TVC)," said Ashraf Ali, the joint secretary of the SS Hogg Market Traders' Association.
Saktiman Ghosh, a hawkers' union leader and a member of the TVC, made it clear that they wouldn't support the hawkers who were trying to flout the rules. "We support livelihood, but we don't support the encroachment of carriageways. The cops have done their duty but they should keep a vigil on the encroachers so that the genuine hawkers can feel secure," Ghosh said.
According to a KMC official, the drive was conducted on Bertram Street after mayor Firhad Hakim asked the New Market PS OC to clear encroachment at all costs. "We are keeping a watch on Bertram Street and other roads in and around New Market. If needed, we will conduct a joint drive with the cops," said the civic official.