Calcutta: Calcutta High Court on Wednesday asked the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority not to proceed with its decision to remove hawkers from three roads leading from Sector V to New Town till the state government implements the new street vending rules.

Justice Debangsu Basak issued the order after advocate-general Kishore Dutta told the court that the state government would soon implement the West Bengal Urban Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2018.

"Since the state government has decided to implement the rules to regulate hawkers, the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority should not proceed with its decision to remove hawkers from New Town," he said.

The order was in response to a petition filed by the Salt Lake Sector V Hawkers' Welfare Association, which challenged the township authority's decision to evict around 760 hawkers from the tech hub.

When the petition was first heard by Justice Basak on July 19, he had issued an interim stay on the proposed eviction.

The township authority had asked the hawkers to clear the pavements bordering the thoroughfares, including the approach to Ring Road near Godrej Waterside from the Wipro crossing, the stretch from the SDF intersection in GN Block till Technopolis and the road in front of Webel Bhawan in EN Block.

"The court verdict is in our favour. We will not let go of even an inch of space. If anyone tries to evict us, it will be an illegal act," said Bhabotosh Sarkar, the secretary of the hawkers' association.

The state cabinet had approved the rules framed under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending ) Act, 2014, on June 25. The 2014 act is a central legislation.