A group of hawkers on Thursday occupied the Mall Road without obtaining permission from the Darjeeling municipality, raising serious questions on whether there was a rule of law in town.

The 106 hawkers had been evicted from the Mall Road by the municipality in April and provided with a temporary space near the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan which is also called Bhanu Bhavan.

“They (the 106 hawkers) have put up stalls without taking permission from the municipality. They have occupied the space illegally,” said Dipendra Thakuri, the municipal chairman.

Asked if the civic board would take any action, Thakuri pleaded helplessness.

None of the hawkers was ready to speak on their return to Chowrasta (also called the Mall).

The Darjeeling municipality and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) had started the work to set up a hawkers’ market at Chowrasta to rehabilitate the 106 who complained that they did not get good business near Bhanu Bhavan.

The public, however, protested against the proposal for the hawkers’ market construction.

Social and environmental organisations on Wednesday filed a police complaint and decided to approach Calcutta High Court on the issue. Following the complaint, the construction that had started on Tuesday was stopped on Wednesday evening.

The fresh round of controversy erupted after the GTA had decided to remove the 106 hawkers from the Mall — they had been temporarily given space there in 2014 — from April 1 to 3 in view of the G20 meetings being held in Darjeeling. However, the hawkers were not allowed to return to the Mall area.

The cleaning of the Mall Road was widely appreciated by the public.

However, the municipality’s decision to construct the market for the hawkers or allow them to return to earlier spots has not been appreciated by the public.

“This means even I can open a shop right in the middle of Chowrasta and later demand that I be rehabilitated,” said a resident on Thursday.

Messages condemning Thursday’s development flooded social media.

Many residents said serious questions were being raised on whether there was a rule of law. They pointed out that the construction of highrises continues unabated in town.

A section of local people pointed out that suddenly, advertisement hoardings
were coming up at every nook and corner in the Darjeeling town.