12 Kolkata: Hawkers illegally occupying the pavements in Kolkata have demanded the immediate removal of their counterparts encroaching on the carriageway, claiming they are eating into their business. The irony is that the former have for long blocked the entrances of millions of legitimate shop owners and caused an "unfriendly atmosphere", hampering the store businesses.
The ongoing battle between these encroachers and established shop owners has now taken an unexpected turn, highlighting how illegal encroachment causes damage to everyone involved. Busy shopping districts like the New Market area, Gariahat, Haatibagan, Burrabazar, Canning Street, Rabindra Sarani, and Brabourne Road have turned into a bone of contention, with illegal street vendors clashing with each other over scarce space, while legitimate business owners struggle to stay afloat.
In a meeting of the Town Vending Committee on Friday, a section of hawkers who have occupied precious pavement space demanded that hawkers who are now taking over the carriageways should be immediately removed as they are hurting sales. "We have demanded the immediate removal of illegal encroachers from the carriageway in the New Market area and other pockets of the city. The administration must act fast and remove these hawkers who are also hampering the business of ‘legitimate' hawkers on the pavements," said Shaktiman Ghosh of the Hawker Sangram Committee.
Ghosh and several other representatives of the hawkers were present at the meeting with civic officials and police. Last year, the administration cracked down on hawkers but they returned after a few months, with more encroachers taking up space on the carriageway. There have been several street fights between the two hawker groups, forcing the police and the civic body to intervene.
For decades, hawkers occupying pavements along Kolkata's busiest shopping areas have caused trouble for shop owners by blocking the entrance, selling the same products at lower prices, and creating an "unfriendly atmosphere" for both businessmen and buyers. "Ironically, the same hawkers are now asking for removal of their counterparts encroaching on the carriageways, claiming that the latter are eating into their sales. For years, the hawkers on the pavements have done the same with legitimate shop owners," said a hawker in the New Market area.
Last year, the administration cracked down on hawkers following a nudge from CM Mamata Banerjee. The objective was to free up pavements for pedestrians and reduce congestion on the streets. Hawkers were forced to decrease the breadth and height of their stalls.
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