Kolkata begins hawker control drive; no vending licence without voter list inclusion

The Kolkata municipal administration has initiated a hawker regulation drive aimed at restoring footpaths and major road intersections across the city. In the first phase, hawkers will not be permitted on 1,892 identified roads across 144 wards, including Dharmatala, Park Street and B.B.D. Bagh. The administration has directed that hawkers operating within 45 feet of road intersections must vacate the area, while hawkers located at the entrances of schools, colleges, hospitals, government offices, shopping malls, public markets and other prominent institutions must also relocate. Police have been instructed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance to ensure that no hawkers occupy the city's carriageways.

The Town Vending Committee also decided that vending licences would not be issued to applicants whose names do not appear on the voter list after the Special Intensive Revision process. The 8,727 applicants identified for vending certificates have been asked to submit their SIR certificates again. According to the municipal administration, these measures are being implemented as part of efforts to regulate hawking activities and restore the city's footpaths and important public spaces.

The administration stated that no large-scale eviction drive has been launched at present and that the current measures are focused on regulating hawking activities. It was also alleged that some hawkers displaced from railway station areas have been occupying different lanes in Kolkata during the night, and police have been instructed to prevent such activities.