Darjeeling Municipality set to enforce ‘No Vending Zone’ on Nehru Road

Darjeeling: With Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s strict stance on illegal occupation of government land, roads, and footpaths triggering eviction drives throughout the state, the Darjeeling Municipality has finally decided to enforce the “No Vending Zone” resolution on Nehru Road, Darjeeling. Until now, it had remained merely a signage. The issue related to the 106 makeshift shops occupying the iconic Chowrasta (Darjeeling Mall) is yet to be resolved, as suitable relocation space hasn’t been agreed upon by the hawkers.

There have been numerous complaints by local residents regarding hawkers on Nehru Road and Chowrasta, especially during the tourist season, making navigation nearly impossible due to the congested situation. Makeshift fast food stalls and hawkers on both sides of the road further exacerbate the problem. Nehru Road was declared a hawker-free zone in 2012 by Darjeeling Municipality but has only existed on paper until now.

“We will enforce the No Vending Zone resolution. Hawkers will not be allowed to sell their wares on Nehru Road from July 2. We also plan to clear the area in front of Sunflower Hotel on the mall, which has been completely occupied by hawkers. The hawkers themselves should understand the situation and vacate voluntarily, rather than the municipality having to force them,” stated Dipendra Thakuri, Chairman of Darjeeling municipality.

Thakuri mentioned that a meeting was held with the hawker association and NGOs regarding the 106 shops occupying Chowrasta road. “We are searching for a suitable place to rehabilitate them. We have requested suggestions from both, hawkers and NGOs,” Thakuri added.

The NGOs demanded that the municipality conduct a rigorous scrutiny to ascertain the actual number of shops needing rehabilitation. “According to municipal records, only 27 such shops were listed, but this has now risen to 106. There are instances where owners have been selling shops or renting them out. Some individuals possess up to 4 shops, which is illegal occupation,” noted an NGO representative.

“There can be no compromise on the mall or Chowrasta issue. The illegal structures must be removed, and no new structures should be permitted on the mall (Chowrasta). It should be declared a hawker-free zone, and this must be strictly enforced. We cannot allow the pride of Darjeeling to be defiled,” emphasised Bharat Prakash Rai of the Federation of Societies for Environment Protection (FOSEP).