A Camac Street businessman called up mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday, complaining about hawkers allegedly encroaching the pavement since Friday.

Hakim promptly asked civic officials to lodge an FIR, asserting that pavements were civic body’s property. His response will be heartening for most residents of the city, where most busy pavements are virtually inaccessible because of hawkers.

The call on Saturday came during the ‘Talk to Mayor’ programme where citizens tell Hakim the problems they face related to civic amenities. The session used to take place on Wednesdays but was shifted to Saturday since November 23.

“Three hawkers have been occupying the pavement since Friday, curtailing the shop’s visibility and partially blocking entry to the building,” the caller, who owns a space on the ground floor of Shantiniketan Building, told Hakim.

Hakim immediately told officials: “Footpath er malik corporation. Borough engineer den bolun FIR korte (The civic body is the owner of the pavement. Please ask the borough engineers to lodge an FIR).

The pavement on both sides of Camac Street are dotted with hawkers but the stretch right in front of Shantiniketan Building was so far free of hawkers, the caller told Metro over the phone.

From Gariahat to Esplanade and Hatibagan to Salt Lake, hawkers pay a token fine to the police for blocking a public walkway and a fixed amount to their union. This ensures that they are hardly disturbed.

A police officer said the hawkers were not scared of prosecution anymore. Raids to remove illegal stalls have long stopped. In March this year, Calcutta police commissioner Anuj Sharma had told all police stations in the city not to allow any new hawker.

On Saturday, the mayor was also heard telling an official that he had a word with Shaktiman Ghosh, the leader of Hawker Sangram Committee. “Kono notun hawker bosbe na (No new hawker will be allowed),” Hakim was quoted as saying.

Representatives from the Shantiniketan Building had already visited Shakespeare Sarani police station on Friday. The team is said to have spoken with the officer in charge and apprised him of the problem.

“We told police that the three stalls that have sprung up are eateries. Not only are they blocking the pavement, the stoves used for cooking can be safety hazard,” said the caller.

He said the occupants of the building were “extremely happy about the positive action of the mayor” and hoped the hawkers will be removed soon.