Illegal eateries on pavements in front of Ecospace (left) and the main gate of Unitech in New Town. (Sayantan Ghosh)

New Town is fast becoming another Calcutta in the way pavements are being grabbed by hawkers.

In June, Metro had highlighted the encroachment menace near the DLF cluster in Action Area I, where hundreds of eateries have illegally come up on pavements adjacent to residential estates.

A few kilometres down the arterial road running through the township, close to 150 shacks have come up on pavements across the road from IT offices like Unitech, Ecospace and Infospace and Tata Medical Center.

Encroachments

Some of the illegal eateries are huge, spread across 100sq ft or even more. Inside the tarpaulin-bamboo pole structures are comfortable seating arrangements, refrigerators and LPG cylinders.

“The eateries have come up and are expanding in the absence of construction and surveillance,” said the owner of a shack that serves Chinese and South Indian dishes, as well as the staple rice and fish curry.

The owner of a neighbouring eatery selling sweets said he had spent close to Rs 1.5 lakh on the business. “I bought a refrigerator and a showcase for displaying sweets and other edibles I sell,” he said.

Techies and their colleagues from other departments, who can be identified with the help of ID cards worn around necks, can be seen hanging out at these eateries in droves.

Close to 50 shacks, selling everything from food to chewing tobacco and cigarettes, have come up on either side of the main gate of the Unitech premises.

Eateries have come up even on the divider separating the service road in front of the IT park from the expressway.

The Unitech authorities claim they have tried in vain every possible technique to remove the encroachers.

“From speaking to the local union leaders to approaching Hidco (the implementing authority of New Town), we tried everything to get the encroachers removed. But the situation remains the same,” said an official of Unitech.

Powerful powerless

Though no official in the administration wants to go on record, people aware of the functioning of Hidco know hawkers are the agency’s Achilles heel. Nobody wants to touch the politically sensitive issue with a bargepole.

“Most encroachers have the blessings of local Trinamul Congress leaders. Any decision to displace them has to be taken at the political level,” said a Hidco official.

In June, after Metro highlighted the plight of New Town residents because of encroachments, the Hidco authorities had urged the hawkers to move out.

Instead of abiding by Hidco’s directive, the hawkers approached local Trinamul MLA Sabyasachi Dutta.

Sources said a state minister had assured the encroachers that they would not be removed till the authorities could provide them with an alternative space in the vicinity. Hidco has been silent on the issue since.

One official said the situation was such that there were more illegal occupants than legal ones in parts of the township.

If Calcutta is any example, a hawker occupying a part of the pavement can well assume that it is his for good.