The illegal market in front of Shukhobrishti in Action Area III was razed over the weekend after the encroachers finally agreed to shift to the stalls built by the Newtown Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA).
The stalls were lying ready from even before the pandemic but the hawkers had so long refused to shift.
The recovered space will now be used to widen the road as there are plans to add a lane to it, officials say.
“We have built 182 stalls but the hawkers have increased manifold, especially in recent years. We are taking a nominal rent, coming to less than Rs 350 per month. The stalls are 80 to 100 sq ft in size. We helped them with shifting and supervised the allotment process by opening a temporary NKDA office at the market,” said an NKDA official.
It was a massive effort for the last one week, sources said, with guards being posted to ensure that the vacated stalls were not occupied again by others on the sly.
Backstory
Over the last decade, the pavement in front of Shukhobrishti as well as that on the opposite side were taken over by a market that catered to the residents of the three housing complexes there.
“The stalls had taken over even the service lanes on both sides of the road. This left only a single lane in the middle for the movement of public buses, totos and private cars alike. The Shukhobrishti entrance was a nightmare in the evening due to traffic congestions. Accidents would occur at the slightest slip in alertness,” said a resident, who did not want to be quoted.
A couple of years back, twice at a gap of six months, gas cylinders had burst at a tea stall, causing an entire row of stalls to be gutted, he recalled.
While the pavements have been cleared, there are hawkers sitting on the service lane who are waiting in trepedation to be asked to clear out. They are worried whether they would get any stall allotment.
“If I don’t get a stall I will be forced to deliver fruits at doorsteps on cycle counting on orders on the phone,” said Hafizur Rehman, who stays 20 minutes away in Bhangore.
The NKDA official admitted there were many more hawkers than there were stalls, given their numbers have mushroomed. “We will try to accomodate some more by giving them space on the ground.”
Within six months, the process for the widening of the road would start. “This is one of two areas in New Town where the road has three lanes, not four. The fourth needs to be added.” An NKDA office will also be built on the reclaimed land as there is none in Action Area III.
Many residents drove to the new market place, less than five minutes away by car. “This road is so narrow and there is no parking space. It is tough to turn the car around as it leads to a dead end,” said Akhipata Gupta of Newtown Heights.
But those like Mahesh Sharma, staying at The Soul, that overlooks the market were happy that the market was now closer than ever, though Sharma was worried about the approach to their complex getting congested. “Hope the NKDA widens the road,” he said.
A Shukhobrishti resident pointed to a market that has come up inside the complex, near C gate. “But it would be a long walk for those of us who stay near the main gate. We will buy the daily necessities online henceforth, I suppose,” he said.
The NKDA will also build the road that leads from the market into the complex where new apartments are getting handed over.