Santosh Pathak alleges political conspiracy as 25 hawkers removed from 4 NS Road heritage site

Tensions arose at Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s monthly session on Friday when Ward 45 councillor Santosh Pathak raised the issue of 25 hawkers removed from 4 Number Netaji Subhash Road (NS Road). Pathak described the removal as “biased and discriminatory” and termed it a “political conspiracy.”

Pathak stated that the hawkers had been operating at the same location for the past four decades. He questioned the rationale for removal, saying, “The entire Dalhousie area is heritage declared. If rules are the same, why is action not uniform across all sites?” He argued that targeting only this specific location is unjustified.

Responding to the allegations, MIC Devashish Kumar said, “Kolkata’s heritage buildings are historical assets. Shops in front of them harm structure, aesthetics, and violate law.” He emphasized that footpaths are meant for public movement and not commercial activity.

Kumar further clarified that the municipal corporation will not grant any lease or rental rights to hawkers on footpaths. He stated that legitimate vendors facing issues will receive assistance for relocation or reorganization. Currently, approximately 54,000 hawkers are legally registered under Kolkata’s Vendor Policy, while all others operating on footpaths are categorized as illegal.

The issue highlights ongoing enforcement in central Kolkata areas including Dalhousie, Bowbazar, Burrabazar, Esplanade, and North Kolkata, which have hundreds of heritage buildings. Preservation rules apply uniformly, while the livelihoods of thousands of footpath vendors are directly affected by regulatory actions.