‘KMC aims to get rid of plastic from South Kolkata hawker zones’

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has assured that plastic will be eliminated from major hawker zones in South Kolkata in about 75 days while clarifying that hawkers cannot occupy more than one-third of the pavement.

A councillor of ward 105 in the Kasba area has complained that hawkers are occupying more space than they are supposed to while their use of a large amount of plastic for stall coverings will pose a risk of vector-borne diseases in the coming monsoon due to water retaining capacity of the material.The Member Mayor-in-Council, Parks and Squares, Debasish Kumar clarified that the KMC has already started its drive to eliminate plastic from all hawking zones in the city. This decision was taken after a discussion with the town vending committee.

He said measures have already been taken to substitute plastic with tin sheds at Gariahat market and Lake Market in South Kolkata.

“We can hope that plastic will be totally removed from South Kolkata hawker zones stretching from Gariahat- Ballygunge Station- Lake Market, within 75 days,” said Kumar.

Further, commenting on how much space hawkers can occupy and who gives permission to these random hawking stalls to conduct business, Kumar said that the KMC does not and cannot give any permission to such hawking stalls mushrooming in the city, illegally. He said that according to the rules of the Town

Vending Committee, hawkers can occupy only one-third of the pavement.