On Friday, the mayor of Kolkata said that the city’s police commissioner was delaying taking action against hawkers who utilise combustible plastic sheets on their street kiosks.
The letter was delivered on November 2 to Vineet Goyal, the commissioner of the Kolkata police, according to Mayor Firhad Hakim. Hakim remarked, “I have not seen action anyplace.
He claimed that in courts, politicians were referred to as “prabhabshali (influential)”. The cops don’t pay attention to us even when we tell them something, he claimed, because of our immense power.
When asked about Hakim’s statements regarding the letter that was handed to him, police commissioner Goyal sent a WhatsApp message to The Telegraph saying that “a joint survey by Kolkata Municipal Corporation/Kolkata Police and other stake holders to identify the unlawful hawkers is underway. All PS (police stations) have received explicit directives from us to help KMC remove the unauthorised hawker encroachment.
The mayor further charged that certain police officers were working closely with street vendors.
He was speaking at the civic centre following the weekly “Talk To Mayor” phone-in programme.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s police hawker survey in Gariahat is met with violations.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s police hawker survey in Gariahat is met with violations.
To find errant hawkers, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is conducting a survey.
To find errant hawkers, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is conducting a survey.
“On November 2, I gave Vineet Goyal a letter; to date, he has not responded. This is a discussion of plastic usage (by hawkers). Wintertime saw a fire in Gariahat, according to Hakim.
“Hawkers are occupying more than a third of the pavement’s width. A significant issue is plastic. A fire could start at any time. On November 2, I mailed the letter, but to date, I have seen no response. For this, the police must assume accountability, he said.
“I don’t have any proof, but I’ve heard that some police and hawker unions operate on a monthly schedule… In the event of an accident, some people might pass away.
In accordance with Kolkata Municipal Corporation regulations, hawkers are not permitted to occupy more than one-third of a pavement’s width, encroach on any road, or cover their stalls with plastic or other combustible materials.
Nearly every footpath vendor is covered in dangerous plastic sheets. In January 2019, a fire near the Gariahat crossing damaged a part of Gurudas Mansion. According to reports, plastic sheets on hawker stalls allowed the fire to pass through to the first floor.