Municipal Corporation
KMC had conducted Operation Sunshine in 1996 to remove hawkers from Gariahat and Shyambazar. Following the hawker removal drive, the KMC commissioner, Asim Barman, had issued a notification imposing certain restrictions on the movement of hawkers on 21 streets in the city.
Bikash Bhattacharya, Mayor of Kolkata, has said that hawkers would be allowed to stay on all pavements across the city and they would be allowed to occupy a third of the pavements along the streets but they would not be allowed to occupy space within a 50-metre radius of road crossings or build any structures.
According to the Hawker Sangram Committee, “Hawkers are exploited by the agents of trade union leaders, politicians, police, civic councillors. They have to pay to earn their bread.” The hawkers pay 266 crores as bribe. This is around 3 per cent of the business. The Committee says, “We are willing to pay rent or some other form of tax to the civic body if we get the right to conduct business. Identity cards will protect us from extortion by multiple agencies,”
There are several unions or associations of hawkers, such as Calcutta Hawkers' Men Union and Bengal Hawkers Association.
Read more about this topic: Hawkers In Kolkata
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