Around 30 hawkers have been relocated from the pavement outside the historic Chartered Bank Building as part of preparations to illuminate the Grade I heritage structure’s façade.

The building, constructed in 1908 and located just north of Writers’ Buildings at 4,
Netaji Subhas Road, holds special significance as the former office of Bird & Company, where Amitabh Bachchan worked in the 1960s before his rise to stardom. Reflecting on those early days, Bachchan, known as Big B, posted on X in 2011: “Kolkata… Calcutta then… first job as executive in Bird & Co., salary Rs 500/- per month, after cuts etc ₹460/-!!”

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) launched the relocation drive on June 14. While most hawkers moved voluntarily, four initially resisted the relocation and required police assistance after several days of persuasion.

“None were evicted; all have been provided space on a nearby pavement,” said a KMC official. “We tried to persuade them over several days, but they were stubborn and did not agree to relocate. Finally, police assistance was required.”

To prevent new hawkers from setting up stalls, the corporation is developing green patches along the footpath.

The relocation paves the way for Kolkata Restorers, a citizens’ group that illuminates historic buildings across the city, to light up the Chartered Bank building’s façade.

Mayor Firhad Hakim emphasised the city’s commitment to balancing heritage preservation with hawkers’ livelihoods. “The building is a Grade I heritage structure, and we had a proposal to illuminate its façade. To facilitate this, the hawkers were relocated,” he told The Telegraph. “We will try to keep pavements outside heritage buildings free wherever possible, but we cannot simply remove hawkers — it is a matter of their livelihoods.”

The current owner of the building, Ajay Jhunjhunwala, has pledged to support the initiative by planting and maintaining trees on the green patches. “The building will need some repairs before it is illuminated,” he said.

Much of the 1,50,000 sq ft building currently remains vacant, with only one tenant occupying the space.

Before proceeding, KMC consulted Calcutta’s town vending committee, which includes elected members, hawker representatives, police, KMC officials, and NGOs. The committee holds authority over hawker relocations.

According to KMC’s Graded List of Heritage Buildings, Grade I structures permit “no external change” and require that “use of the building should be compatible with
the category of the heritage building”.

The building was designed by Calcutta-based architect Edward Thornton, who worked for Sir Rajen Mookerjee’s firm, Martin & Co. It was originally owned by the Maharaja of Burdwan, and was leased to Chartered Bank, which was formed in 1853 under a royal charter from Queen Victoria. Chartered Bank merged with Standard Bank, which operated across south central and western Africa, in 1969 to form today’s Standard Chartered Bank.