A total of 77 hawkers allotted stalls in food plaza of New Town, Kolkata

A total of 77 hawkers have been allotted stalls in the food plaza of New Town. There are ten specially designed food stalls each of 450 sq ft space. There is a space for eating and a glass front pane in the stalls for the hawkers to showcase their products. Each shop has a front portion for selling and a rear portion for cooking.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 31 December 2016.

There are many unplanned informal hawker stalls spread in the area - these were usually covered with tarpaulin sheets of various sizes and shapes. These will now be a thing of the past because of the specially designed food plaza in New Town because the HIDCO authorities have decided to rehabilitate the hawkers in a planned manner. The stalls of various sizes were distributed through lottery.
It took about two years to come up with the stalls at a cost of Rs 3.62 crore and a rent of Rs 4 per sq ft per month will be charged - at present, the existing tariff in the township ranges between Rs 30 to Rs 45 or more per sq ft per month.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Ranchi traffic police launch drive to remove hawkers from the streets

Ranchi traffic police have launched an anti-encroachment campaign on Mahatma Gandhi Road, popularly Main Road, in the capital in the run-up to festive season of Durga Puja. The mushrooming stalls squeeze the carriageway by almost half and leads to traffic snarls.
The sudden and unannounced drive began from 11.30am and lasted for a couple of hours and, in this period, nearly half a dozen unauthorized businesses were removed from the area.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 September 2016.

The intention of the authorities is very clear - they will carry out the campaign daily to keep Main Road and its branches free of encroachment in the festive season and will keep removing the encroachers. It may be noted that Jharkhand High Court has asked the police to keep the stretch free of encroachments at any cost.
Incidentally, the anti-encroachment drive had its root in the Durga Puja pandal poser because road-hog pandals are creating resentment among commuters already. Therefore, the district administration does not want to remain a mute spectator to the hawker menace. In the course of a meeting with Puja organisers, the police had pointed out that the pandals that are being erected on the roads should leave enough room for pedestrians and bikers.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Hawkers invade the pavements of Salt Lake in Kolkata - people have to walk on the roads

Salt Lake in Kolkata is known to be home to people of the upper class and it used to be proud of its pavements where the residents could take a morning or an evening stroll without running into an illegal stall. But, at present, they risk being run over on the road because their pavements are being snatched from them by hawkers - courtesy the local Councillors who are minting money by giving out the spaces on rent.
The pavement space in this planned township is catering to everything from mobile phone accessories to fruits.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 15 July 2016.

It seems Councillors of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation are the biggest beneficiaries of this barter of pedestrian safety for illegal gains. The encroachment is visible on pavements near City Centre, under the elevated East-West Metro corridor opposite ILS Hospitals, next to Karunamoyee Housing Estate and opposite Hyatt Regency. These used to be free of encroachers until a few months ago.
The going rate depends on location and the potential for business. The minimum upfront rate for a place on a pavement in sectors I, II and III is Rs 8,000 but in areas like Karunamoyee Bus Stand and City Centre, the rate can go up to Rs 50,000.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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