KMC directs hawkers to move away from blacktopped areas

Kolkata: Following a meeting with the Town Vending Committee (TVC) meeting on Wednesday, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) directed hawkers to move away from blacktopped areas, especially in regard to New Market. It was learnt that meeting was chaired by Mayor Firhad Hakim and attended by municipal commissioner Dhaval Jain, MMIC Debashish Kumar and committee members. Discussions focused on regulating illegal hawking, particularly in New Market area and addressing hawker rehabilitation. Sources said a key discussion point was controlling unauthorized hawkers on black-topped areas in New Market. Black-topped areas refer to specific paved sections of streets or sidewalks in the New Market area where hawker activities are regulated.

Debashish Kumar, also the head of the Hawker Rehabilitation department, stated that the committee has directed hawker unions to identify alternative spaces for rehabilitating hawkers displaced from these zones. He claimed that Kolkata Police is fully cooperating in these efforts. However, such an assertion was contested by TVC member and Hawker Sangram Committee general secretary Shaktiman Ghosh, who blamed police inaction for the resurgence of illegal hawkers on black-topped areas. Ghosh emphasised that stricter police enforcement could prevent such encroachments and raised concerns about delays in issuing hawker certificates. Asit Saha, another TVC member and state president of the Hawker Joint Action Committee, highlighted the plight of 56 legitimate mobile hawkers in New Market and 36 hawkers in Ward 45’s NS Road, who remain unrehabilitated despite being on the approved list. Saha submitted these lists to the Mayor who assured action. The KMC is working to expedite the issuance of hawker certificates to resolve longstanding uncertainties. The meeting also addressed allegations of misconduct, with some accusing hawker unions and police of enabling illegal hawking for financial gain. Despite these disputes, the TVC remains committed to protecting legitimate hawkers’ interests.