Balurghat Police crack down on footpath encroachment

BALURGHAT: Authorities have launched an initiative to clear footpath encroachments in Balurghat city following directives from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This move comes amidst growing concerns over traffic congestion caused by motorcycles, bicycles and other vehicles parked in various city markets.

Despite the presence of two municipal parking lots, they remain underutilised. Instead, locals have taken to parking their vehicles on the roads, exacerbating traffic woes. In response to these issues, the Balurghat Police conducted a special operation on Tuesday afternoon.

The operation, led by DSP Headquarters Vikram Prasad and Balurghat Police Station Inspector-in-Charge Santinath Panja, saw officers visiting several parking areas across the city. The aim is to address the mounting congestion on Balurghat’s narrow main roads, which has become a daily inconvenience for residents.

Authorities hope that these measures will bring much-needed relief to the residents of Balurghat and ensure smoother traffic flow in the days ahead.

Balurghat Municipality is set to initiate a major drive to clear illegal encroachments and hawkers from the city streets starting on July 3. This initiative aims to address the widespread issue of illegal occupation of footpaths and roads by traders.

Municipality Chairman Ashok Kumar Mitra expressed optimism about the campaign, stating that plans to create a designated hawker zone in the city are in place. This move is intended to provide the evicted hawkers with a specific area to continue their businesses legally.

“Following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s directive, we have issued orders to all traders occupying footpaths to vacate. They are being made aware of this through announcements. The illegal occupation of footpaths creates severe difficulties for road users and leads to traffic congestion and accidents. We are determined to free Balurghat city from footpath encroachments,” Mitra stated.