Hawker removal issue: Kolkata trade federation meets municipal commissioner

KOLKATA: The

Kolkata Municipal Corporation

will remove hawkers selling their wares blocking different New Market and SreeRam Arcade gates. This assurance was given to a delegation of traders from Joint Traders Federation (JTF) representing New Market, SreeRam Arcade and some other markets in the zone. The JTF delegation on Tuesday met municipal commissioner

Khalil Ahmed

with several demands in the wake of

Bagri Market fire incident

.


The traders complained of complete non-cooperation from a section of the hawkers who have been taking over pavements in front of the heritage market, parking space on Bertram Street and Humayun Place. The traders also alleged that the three out of four blocks in New Market and the main entrance at SreeRam Arcade had become a dump yard of plastic materials and hence these market carry risks of catching a fire at night when both the traders and hawkers leave the place. Ahmed took note of the traders’ grievances and assured them that necessary steps would be taken to give them relief.

During the day member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC market department Amiruddin Bobby led a team of state fire services, CESC and KMC market department officials to Entally Market to survey the market’s fire prevention system.

"A section of hawkers illegally occupying some entry points to the market would be removed. These hawkers pose a threat to the market’s fire safety system and hence be needed to be removed,” he said to the media persons.

The team also inspected the market’s electrical installations and asked the traders to take immediate steps for upgrading the fire-fighting system in the market. ‘’We have been asking superintendents of all KMC markets to remove electrical wires hanging dangerously from the roof as part of a fire prevention system,” said a KMC market department official.