look news india
Kolkata, August 01 (HS). With an aim to solve the problem of encroachment by vendors on footpaths and roads, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is going to start its digital hawkers survey from Thursday afternoon. This survey will continue for the next 15 days.
The digital survey is being conducted after two rounds of manual surveys in which around 11,700 hawkers were identified at various prominent locations in the city. Now the aim of the digital survey is to get a more authentic picture of the situation and to separate hawking and no-hawking areas in all the 16 boroughs that come under the jurisdiction of KMC.
Last month, a drive was launched by the corporation and Kolkata police to remove hawkers operating illegally without licences. However, following criticism from various sections of society, the eviction drive was put on hold and it was decided that a detailed hawkers survey will be conducted to identify vendors operating illegally.
KMC sources said the survey will be conducted by a team of 657 employees of the corporation headed by officers of the rank of managers and assistant managers. The 657 employees will be divided into several teams to ensure smooth and quick completion of the survey.
On June 27, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced at the Secretariat that the state government will ensure that the evicted hawkers are provided with alternative places for business and if necessary, the West Bengal government will arrange warehouses for them. But under no circumstances will the state government allow hawkers to encroach on public roads, she had said then.