A day after payloader run, cautious New Market hawkers make a return

Kolkata: Hundreds of stalls lining the pavements around New Market sprang back to life after two days of anxiety and silence, as hawkers returned to Bertram Street, Humayun Place, Hogg Street, Chowringhee Place, Lindsay Street and Grand Arcade following Tuesday's bulldozer scare.The change of guard in the state had triggered uncertainty across the belt, where livelihoods often depend as much on political protection as on customer footfall. The sight of payloaders and civic machinery moving through the area on Tuesday deepened fears that a crackdown was imminent.On Wednesday, hawkers said they were grateful to be back on the pavements, yet unsure how long the reprieve would last. Many had spent the previous 48 hours trying to understand whether the new political equation would mean eviction, fresh controls or a simple transfer of allegiance. "It is a matter of great relief that we are allowed to sell our wares once again. Tension gripped the hawking hub as we saw payloaders doing rounds. Hope there will be no fresh turmoil in the area," said Mohammed Akhtar.The reopening, however, has exposed a new power struggle over who controls the hawker network. At the centre of that shift is BJP-linked hawker union leader Kali Khatik, who moved quickly to assert his authority over the area and signal that the rules of survival had changed. As hawkers reopened their stalls, some began reaching out to Khatik in an effort to secure their place under the new dispensation. Others chose to stay cautious, preferring not to openly commit until the balance of power became more settled."I have nothing to do with a hawker union. I have been doing business for the past one and a half decades and have obliged the hawker union leaders with subscriptions whenever they demanded. I will toe the same line this time too," said Sheikh Ismail, who sells soft toys on Humayun Place.The transition has become more complicated because Khatik has made it clear that his union now intends to decide who gets to trade in the area. At a meeting on Wednesday evening, he issued a blunt warning, saying only those who had been with his union and were willing to conduct business peacefully would be allowed to continue. His show of strength had begun a day earlier. On Tuesday, groups of helmetless youths rode through the area, planting BJP flags on hawker stalls and repeatedly circling the area to make their presence felt. The message was unmistakable: a new patronage structure was taking shape, and New Market's hawkers were expected to recognise it.While hawkers welcomed the chance to resume earning, shopkeepers viewed the comeback with concern. Many fear that the return of stalls will once again choke carriageways. "We hope the encroachment will end under the new dispensation. But if the hawkers simply switch allegiance, it will be sad," said SS Hogg Market Traders Union president Ashok Gupta.While the Town-Vending Committee had earlier decided that hawkers occupying carriageways would be removed, civic officials are uncertain about when such a drive would take place in the current political situation.