Hawkers return after bulldozer scare, vendors across New Market streets set up stalls
Telegraph | 11 May 2026
Hawkers in the New Market area are slowly returning to normalcy after a victory rally of the BJP paraded a bulldozer through parts of the area on Tuesday, sparking fears that select hawkers may be targeted.
On Sunday, the stalls on Hogg Street opened. At Bertram Street and Humayun Place, the streets were filled with hawkers doing brisk business, a usual sight on Sundays.
“The situation has improved. We have asked hawkers to open their stalls without any fear. Let us see how the next few days go,” said Debashis Das, a hawker leader and a member of Calcutta’s town vending committee, which is empowered to regulate hawkers in a city.
There were apprehensions among hawkers about whether the current town vending committee would be in place for long, since it functions with help from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
The civic body is run by the Trinamool Congress, and its elections are due in December.
“It is not clear if there will be new rules and regulations. Many hawkers have set up stalls on the road, violating the street vending rules. The KMC and the police allowed them to have a free run with some drives against them once in a while,” said a hawker leader.
“Whether the new government implements the rule in letter and spirit remains to be seen. It is also a question of many livelihoods and many families,” he added.
The existing street vending rules say that hawkers can set up stalls within one-third of the width of a pavement and leave the rest free for pedestrians. The rules also say that no stall can be set up encroaching on a road.
A hawker leader in New Market alleged that stray instances of BJP workers intimidating some hawkers were happening, but said the situation has been “mostly peaceful”.
A hawker leader aligned with the BJP denied the allegations and said all hawkers who follow rules framed by the government will have no problems.
A bulldozer was paraded through New Market on Tuesday evening. The area is dotted with stalls and shops, many of them run by Muslim owners.
At least half a dozen men stood on the raised blade of the machine, waving BJP flags as it moved through the busy stretch. The bulldozer moved from Bertram Street, crossed the stretch in front of Nizam’s restaurant end towards Hogg Market, accompanied by raucous music from loudspeakers.
The use of a bulldozer — a politically charged symbol of aggression and hate against Muslims in north India — sparked fears among hawkers and stall owners in the New Market area.
The use of a bulldozer in some other places prompted Kolkata Police Commissioner to announce a ban on the use of bulldozers in victory rallies.