Walkways across Sector V are overrun by pavement-grabbing stalls and shacks that make walking in the area a perilous affair for thousands of office-goers and commuters.
Many hawkers who run food stalls have set up tables and chairs on pavements blocking them completely for pedestrians.
To find out the exact number of hawkers and their area-wise density of such stalls and shops a survey will be carried out by the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA), a senior NDITA official said.
Teams from NDITA will move around Sector V and create a map of these stalls. After the survey is over, the authorities will have a meeting with representatives from the hawkers’ bodies.
“We will hold a meeting where the hawkers will be asked to ensure that at least two-thirds of the pavement spaces in Sector V are kept free for movement of pedestrians. This apart, proper waste disposal techniques, ensuring that no water accumulation could turn into a breeding ground for mosquitoes in and around the stalls and the practice of opening manhole covers by a section of food stall owners to dump waste will be discussed,” the official said.
Across the state, hawkers must restrict their stalls within a third of the width of the pavement and leave the rest free for pedestrians. The rule is part of the street vending rules framed by the state government. The rule, however, seems to exist only on paper as in places like Gariahat, Hatibagan and New Market the stalls on pavements do not abide by the rule.
On Wednesday, The Telegraph walked around Sector V and spotted many pavement-grabbing stalls that had been set up after removing paver blocks and setting bamboo shafts, over which plastic sheets have been strung up. Benches, chairs and tables have been set up on pavements.
Most pavements in Sector V are equipped with guardrails to ensure that pedestrians cannot jaywalk. With the bamboo and plastic stalls taking over the walking space completely, thousands of office-goers and others risk their lives and walk on roads with vehicles zipping past them.
A senior official of NDITA said that according to an earlier estimate, there are more than 300 hawkers in Sector V.
The footpaths around College More crossing, near Webel More intersection and EP GP Block are so full of stalls that pedestrians are forced to walk on the roads as there is no other way. The NDITA has built a designated hawking zone as well as a food court inside the Sector V parking lot behind the Technopolis building. There have been repeated attempts in the past few years to rehabilitate hawkers.
The hawkers, however, have refused to move.
“We have found out that several new pavements in Sector V have been encroached upon by such stalls. There are quite a few stalls that are open round-the-clock as well,” said another NDITA official.
Repeated attempts to rehabilitate them have failed. “We have tried on multiple occasions to free the pavement but have met with stiff resistance from hawkers, some of whom keep their shops open round-the-clock,” said the official.
Sujit Bose, the Bidhannagar MLA, said that they are in the process of finding suitable spots around Sector V where temporary hawkers’ plazas could be set up.
“We are in the process of scouting for locations where we can set up hawking zones. However, this can only be done after the elections are over,” said Bose.
