After two days of action against illegal encroachment of footpaths by hawkers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made a U-turn on Thursday and said hawker eviction was not the goal of her government.
Ms. Banerjee, who addressed a review meeting on encroachment by hawkers with senior officials and Ministers of the State government, constituted a committee to conduct a survey and submit a report to her office within 15 days.
“We are not going for hawker eviction immediately. Since they (the hawkers) have sought one month’s time, we should complete our work in one month,” the Chief Minister said.
For the past two days, civic authorities and police in Kolkata, and in the districts, had undertaken hawker eviction drives. Bulldozers were brought out on the streets and temporary structures built by hawkers blocking footpaths were razed.
“I have no right to take away anyone’s source of income or render anyone unemployed. Millions run their family by hawking. There will be no eviction for one month. During this period, the hawkers have to clear the footpaths,” the Chief Minister said at the meeting.
The Trinamool Congress chairperson blamed political leaders and policemen for the hawkers occupying the streets. She threatened councillors with arrest if hawkers sitting on pavements illegally are not removed.
“Councillors should have kept a watch on this from the start. If you help a new hawker (to encroach), you will be arrested. The leaders of the area first take money (from hawkers) and allow them to sit and start doing business. Afterwards they bulldoze them... This cannot be allowed,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee referred to The West Bengal Urban Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014 which has the provisions for forming town vending committees. The rules of the Act were framed in 2018 and provided details about the constitution and functioning of these committees. The rules framed responsibilities for vendors where they had to ensure that they were not blocking entrance of shops and houses, and kept the vending space clean. In most cases, town vending committees have not been formed.
The encroachment of footpaths by hawkers has been a long-pending civic issue not only in Kolkata but also in other civic bodies of the State. The Chief Minister on June 24 had issued a stern warning to the administration on encroachment after which the police and civic authorities swung into action and started removing hawkers. Ms. Banerjee, however, underlined that she was not against hawkers but against the system by local leaders that is promoting illegal use of footpaths and roads for hawking.
