Kolkata: A day after the streets around New Market had been emptied of encroachment, it was back to square one on Tuesday as hawkers returned in droves to occupy streets and pavements in the belt.
On Monday, police had kept the entire area, including Bertram Street. Hogg Street and Chowringhee Place, free of hawkers due to chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s visit to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters. On Friday, the CM had publicly criticised the takeover of roads and pavements by hawkers and named New Market as one of the worst encroached areas in the city.
Though the New Market area was sanitised on Monday when Adhikari visited KMC, hawkers returned to occupy Bertram Street, Chowringhee Place, Humayun Place and Hogg Street on Tuesday afternoon. By evening, there were up to five rows of hawkers along some stretches.
Hawkers were also back on the pavement of Chowringhee near the Esplanade metro station’s gate no. 6.
Traders at SS Hogg Market expressed disappointment at the short-lived joy. “On Monday, it felt like paradise. Motorists could drive through Bertram Street, Lindsay Street and Humayun Place without trouble. Shoppers could easily find parking space. But come Tuesday afternoon, and the parking lots were again taken over by hawkers,” said SS Hogg Market Traders Association secretary Uday Shaoo.
According to a KMC source, after the CM’s tough talk on the encroachment of the carriageways and pavements, the civic brass has asked the cops to keep a vigil on the carriageways in and around the grade-I heritage market and conduct sporadic drives to remove illegal encroachments. “We have kept our eyes on all roads leading to New Market. A drive started from Finwick Street. We have also conducted a push back drive on Lindsay Street. Next, we will ask the hawkers of Bertram Street and Humayun Place to keep the carriageways encroachment-free,” said a KMC official.
According to a Town Vending Committee member, besides fresh hawkers trying to encroach on the roads and pavements, there is reason for concern has been the floating hawkers who have been selling their wares in the midst of the roads. “Though cops are conducting raids from time to time to check rampant hawking by flying hawkers, we need to launch a comprehensive drive. We will give a deadline to the hawkers in the New Market area before launching a drive to remove the encroachments,” said a KMC official.