Kolkata: The entrance to Shreeram Arcade at Humayun Place was freed of encroachment on Friday evening after police stepped in and launched a pushback drive to end a tense stand-off between shopkeepers and hawkers.According to Shreeram Arcade president, Jacky Samtani, tension had been brewing for some time, with hawkers increasingly occupying more space on the pavements and blocking the access road to the market entrance. Other shopkeepers also alleged that some hawkers catcalled and passed sleazy comments at the shoppers.The situation came to a head around 6 pm on Friday when a shopkeeper asked a hawker, who had occupied more than half the pavement in front of his store, to restrict his wares to a third of the pavement. The hawker allegedly refused to budge.As more hawkers joined in, the matter reached the Shreeram Arcade authorities. Owners and staff of around 300 shops in the market descended onto the street. They confronted the hawkers. A market functionary called the cops when the situation appeared to escalate. Police reached the spot to take charge of things and manage the situation.Over the next couple of hours, a pushback drive was conducted in the market area. Hawkers were forced to retreat from the area.On Saturday, the hawkers had restricted themselves to the allotted space. Shopkeepers, however, remained skeptical that how long the self-regulation would continue to have an impact.“Plantation was carried out in front of the market. But the plants and the beautification structures were demolished in Jan 2024 only to relocate hawkers, who were doing business on the road. Instead, more hawkers encroached the pavement,” Samtani said.
