Our space, their mess: A footpath on Brabourne Road

Tapan Pal,
Batanagar

Why should I? Not a single member of my family is in the police or involved in politics. Being a non-beneficiary in the hawker trade, why should I support it? The hawkers cheat us in terms of price, quality and weight. They create traffic congestion, forcing people to walk along carriageways. Then, our transport minister, who seems to be adept only at increasing fares, sermonises on the need for pedestrians to control their suicidal tendencies. It is our misfortune that whoever we vote to power only causes us inconvenience.

Subhankar Mukherjee,
Burdwan

The mayor?s call is politically motivated. He is trying to win over hawkers with an eye on the Assembly elections. In the process, he is denying the majority of the citizens the basic civic rights. If the hawkers are allowed to set up businesses elsewhere, then not only will the state coffers be enriched, but the rights of the citizens will not be violated. The government is being held hostage to hawkers as local leaders earn a lot from the roadside traders.

Moumita Nandi,
Behala

The mayor?s call to return hawkers to the pavements cannot be supported. His party did think about the hawkers when it conducted Operation Sunshine. Now, with the elections knocking on the door, the administration has suddenly become sensitive to the hawkers? need to earn a livelihood. The politicians are only sensitive to votes. The call to return hawkers to the pavements of highly-populated Calcutta underscores that our leaders are unprincipled and cunning.

Swarnali Biswas,
EM Bypass

The sudden change in the Left Front government?s stand with regard to hawkers is obviously related to the approach of the Assembly elections. For decades, crafty politicians have exploited ordinary people for gaining political mileage. Due to the encroachment of pavements, pedestrians have no option but to take to the carriageway, increasing the possibility of accidents. A rehabilitation policy for hawkers should be taken up to make the roads safe for pedestrians.

Joydeep Chatterjee,
Shyambazar

Pavements are not for the hawkers to set up businesses; they are for the people to walk on. The mayor?s call on the election-eve will surely make the hawkers happy, but it will create a huge problem for the pedestrians and the motorists. Our government cannot abandon its duty to the common people.

Payel bhattacharyya,
Joka

I think the mayor?s call is just a pre-poll gimmick to secure more votes in the city, where his party is not as firmly rooted as in the rest of Bengal. The call, however, will certainly embolden hawkers, who have faced political pressure in the past. The ruling political alliance had once launched Operation Sunshine to free the Calcutta pavements. Are they changing with the season? Maybe another turnaround awaits us post elections.

Sayan Banerjee,
Belgachhia

Of course not. The earlier decision of the civic body to evict the hawkers from footpaths was a logical one. Footpaths are meant for the safety of pedestrians. It is simply unacceptable to allow them to be occupied in a busy city like Calcutta. Instead of bringing back hawkers to the pavements, the mayor could have constructed markets to house them.

Indranil Sanyal,
Dhakuria

The mayor?s call is nothing but an inducement to the hawkers to vote for the ruling party. Calcutta is getting congested every day and the encroachment of footpaths has only added to the woes of pedestrians. It has been said that only one-third of the pavements will be allotted to the hawkers. But who will ensure that this demarcation is not violated?

Shilpa,
Address not given

Removing hawkers would simply lead to more crime in the city. Instead, the pavements should be widened and divided longitudinally. Hawkers could be allowed on one portion, while the other should be kept free for pedestrians. The hawkers should be fined heavily if they encroach on the pedestrian zone. This will also help in minimising deaths due to road mishaps.

Nidhi Poddar,
Salt Lake

If the hawkers take over footpaths, where will the pedestrians go? The government must find other ways to appease hawkers.

Tanima Dey,
Barasat

I don?t support the mayor?s call at all. Pavements are meant for pedestrians and have been built to minimise mishaps. But hawkers have taken over the footpaths, forcing people to risk their lives. Calcutta footpaths are narrow, hence the mayor cannot possibly allow hawkers to occupy them without doing injustice to the public. Hawkers need not be banished from the city. A special area could be designated for them.