Hawkers refused place on bridge

A hawker-free Bankim Setu on Tuesday. (Gopal Senapati) Howrah police finally bowed to public demand and prevented hawkers from selling their wares on Bankim Setu on Tuesday, but the Citu-backed traders’ body vowed to return to the bridge next week. The hawkers submitted a memorandum to Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat office, seeking the chief minister’s help in their fight against the district administration. Every Tuesday over the past 30 years, one of the pavements of Bankim Setu used to be occupied by hawkers selling ready-made garments. At the last count, around 1,000 hawkers used to sell garments on the bridge. “In the first phase of the drive, we barred hawkers from sitting on Bankim Setu. In the next phase, following talks with political leaders, we will evict hawkers from other roads around the administrative hub of Howrah,” said Sukesh Jain, deputy commissioner (headquarters). The Citu-backed Howrah Hawkers Samiti opposed the administration’s move. Secretary Arup Roy said: “During her tenure as district magistrate, Nandini Chakraborty had in 2007 tried to evict hawkers from Bankim Setu. But the move failed. The hawkers will return to the bridge next Tuesday.” Roy warned the district administration of dire consequences if it tried to forcibly remove the “poor hawkers”. Chandi Khamrui, a hawker from Domjur, said he was surprised to see so many policemen on the bridge when he reached there on Monday night to set up his stall. “The cops allowed none of us to sit on the pavement,” said Khamrui. Residents were pleasantly surprised on seeing a hawker-free Bankim Setu on Tuesday morning. “Travelling down the bridge was an ordeal every Tuesday. I would often notice ambulances caught in snarls. The administration’s move was long overdue,” said Paltu Bhattacharjee, a resident of Ramrajatala.