Metal panels at the back of around 25 hawkers’ stalls in Gariahat saved the items inside from being destroyed by rain during last week’s showers, hawkers at Gariahat said.

But stained and torn sheets, an eyesore in the south Calcutta shopping hub, still hang from the majority of stalls.

The metal panels were put up to hide the ugly pieces of cloth that were hanging at the back of the stalls.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had in a meeting on June 24 spoken about the dirty sheets at the back of hawkers’ stalls in Gariahat. Following Mamata’s nudge, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) started installing the metal panels.

But a large majority of the stalls are still without such panels and dependant on stained and torn bed sheets or other pieces of cloth or tarpaulin sheets to protect the items from dust and rain.

“The pace of installation is slow. So far only 25-odd stalls have got panels. Most of the others are still using bed sheets or tarpaulin sheets,” said a hawker.

Ajay Dey, a hawker at Gariahat, said the 25 metal panels were installed in a couple of days around mid-July. “Since then there has been no installation,” Dey said.

Ranjit Mondal, whose stall has been fitted with a panel, said the volume of rainwater entering the stalls has drastically reduced following the installation of the metal panels.

“But some rainwater is still coming in because there is a gap between the stall and the panel. The gap should be eliminated,” Mondal said.

Debashis Kumar, the mayoral council member of the KMC who looks after the installation of metal panels, expressed the hope that all stalls in Gariahat would have such panels by Durga Puja.

“We have chosen an agency to install the panels. More panels will be installed soon,” he said.