Civic body to curb hawkers in New Market

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation authorities finally woke up to curb hawker raj in around New Market. The decision was taken following mayor Sovan Chatterjee’s visit to areas adjacent to the grade – I heritage building. Though traders of New Market, SreeRam Arcade, Firpo’s Market and businessmen from Lindsay Street time and again sought mayor’s intervention to the growing hawker menace, the latter could not find time to take a survey of the streets like Bertram Street, Humayun Place, Hogg Street or Lindsay Street which are increasingly getting gobbled by new hawkers.
However, fresh encroachments at the civic body’s doorstep last week prompted Chatterjee to pay a visit to these areas close to the civic headquarters on S.N. Banerjee Road. First, the mayor called the DC central Akhilesh Chaturvedi to and asked him to ensure that no hawking takes place in front of beside the KMC headquarters VIP entry points. However, after the hawker survey in the area dominated by heritage buildings ( KMC headquarters, Grand Hotel, New Market among others) Chatterjee asked civic officials to work in close contact with local police station to ensure that no more illegal hawking is encouraged and the thoroughfares like Bertram Street, Humayun Place or Lindsay Street are kept free for plying of vehicles.
After the tough talking came some kind of action from the New Market police station. “We have watched some kind of tangible action on part of local police station to regulate hawking on Bertram street. But, so far the hawkers are playing hide and seek with police. As traders we need a concrete plan of action from the state government and the civic authorities,” Ashok Gupta, the president of SS Hogg Market Traders Association. In fact, considering the gravity of the situation, a delegation from all prominent markets in the area met joint commissioner (traffic) M.L Meena and submitted a memorandum on growing hawkers’ menace in New Market area. Rajib Singh, the secretary of the joint traders’ forum requested the top cop to ensure that entry points to the major markets like New Market, SreeRam Arcade were kept open for the shoppers and the roads were made free for the motorists.