KMC to decide on hawkers’ night mkt

Kolkata: In a bid to solve the issue relating to hawkers’ ban in the New Market area, the Hawker Sangram Committee is learnt to have submitted a plan to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), proposing that four streets in the area be closed to traffic in the evening to turn them into a night street market.

It was learnt that the plan submitted to the civic body suggested that four streets around New Market- Lindsay Street, Bertram Street and Humayun Place and Hog Street be closed to traffic after 6 pm so these could be transformed into a night street market which will remain open till 4 am.

The proposal is said to have been accepted by the Town Vending Committee (TVC) and sent to Mayor Firhad Hakim. It is to be eventually forwarded to the state government for final approval. The hawker’s body feels that this will solve the hawker rehabilitation issue by restricting hawkers to just a third of the pavements during daytime and afternoon and then allowing them to do business on the streets in the evening and night.

However, the proposal will only be implemented after detailed discussion with all stakeholders including the police which wants the stalls to wrap up before dawn, a civic body official said. A decision will be taken regarding the matter in a member mayor in council meeting (MMIC) scheduled to be held on Friday. Recently, member mayor-in-council (MMIC) Debashish Kumar, who is also the co-chairman of the TVC, had warned: “Hawkers with non-food stalls can occupy 15 sqft and for food stalls it is 24 sqft. Secondly, according to West Bengal Urban Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules 2018, use of plastic or other inflammable material inside the stall is prohibited. If one is found using it then their Enlistment Certificate for vending will be cancelled.”