Hawkers near KMC HQ: HC irked over civic body’s role

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with the KMC over its failure to effectively address the issue of encroachment by hawkers in front of its headquarters. The court has ordered the KMC to submit a detailed affidavit within 15 days, outlining steps taken to comply with a previous court order dated Sept 27, 2023.The case, presided by justices Sujoy Paul and Smita Das De, saw petitioner's counsel Srikanta Dutta and Rituparna Sarkar Dutta emphasize the lack of action by KMC despite clear directives from the court. In response, Alak Kr Ghosh representing the KMC, acknowledged the challenges and cited instances where removed encroachers returned to their previous spots. The court said: "An affidavit of KMC commissioner be filed indicating the steps taken after the order dated Sept 27, 2023 was passed and in clear terms it must be disclosed as to what action is proposed along with time limit to clear such encroachments. The affidavit shall indicate whether the order dated May 22, 2025 passed by this Court directing them to complete the identification process of vending zone is complete or not."State's counsel, Sirsanya Bandopadhyay and Nilotpal Chatterjee, submitted that the state had already filed report, but the court noted absence of a specific report outlining actions taken. It adjourned the matter to Sept 19, by which KMC is expected to comply with the directives. Failure to do so may result in the court summoning senior officials.