The Mamata Banerjee government will demolish all the permanent structures of the hawkers across the state and will replace those with moveable kiosks. It has asked the Centre to provide fund for constructing the moveable kiosks under the hawker rehabilitation programme.
State urban development and municipal affairs minister Firhad Hakim said, “We will soon frame our own hawker policy which will be implemented by the municipalities in their respective areas. Our policy is that no hawker eviction will take place unless proper rehabilitation. However, we will treat permanent structures of hawkers as encroachments and will demolish those. We will give moveable kiosks to them. Even we will not allow eateries on footpath.” He was speaking after a meeting of the high-powered committee on hawkers.
The government is also planning to set up hawker markets in certain areas on some fixed days or time. “Our hawker policy will be aimed at regulating hawking, but at the same time it will have a humanitarian face,” Mr Hakim added.
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Promoter held for ‘molesting’ housewife
age correspondent
Kolkata, may 9
A promoter was arrested by the Garfa police for allegedly molesting a woman in front of her husband and son. The accused Suman Das, 28, was caught from Purbanchal on Wednesday afternoon. At around 1.30 am, the woman along with her son in a car went to pick up her husband Ganesh Patra at the end of his night shift at his workplace at Prince Anwar Shah Road.
As Mr Patra, the manager of an FMCG company, got into the car, Das and his associate Partha came in a motorcycle and blocked the way. One of them first asked him about his wife’s identity and then passed lewd comments at her, preliminary investigations revealed. When Mr Patra protested, the duo molested his wife and fled, a senior officer of the Garfa police station said. The family later lodged complaint with the police. The promoter was booked under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. A manhunt is underway for Partha.
Meanwhile, the headmaster of a school was arrested for allegedly molesting a student.