Police picket at Shreeram Arcade, drive on in New Mkt

Kolkata: Teams from Lalbazar and New Market police station kept a watchful eye on a cluster of hawkers, who had huddled in groups at Humayun Place on Sunday.
The day before, hawkers clashed with traders, with hawkers first threatening and manhandling a functionary of the traders’ body at Shreeram Arcade and then attempting to attack the traders with rods, sticks and a machete.

Other hawkers were found realigning their stalls on Bertram Street and Hogg Street as cops set out a fresh inspection on Sunday evening and forced traders, who were hanging their wares outside their stores, blocking pavements and roads, to shift them inside their shops. Hawker union leaders also held multiple discussions through the day to defuse the tension. Police have rounded up four union leaders, Rehan Khan, Saif Ali, Md Imtiaz and Sunny Shaw, for questioning. Rehan was among those who allegedly threatened and incited hawkers against Shreeram Arcade traders.
The scene in and around New Market remained one of unease but the two police pickets set up on Humayun Place and in front of the KMC Borough VI office on Hogg Street ensured there was no fresh disturbance on Sunday. “What happened on Saturday was unnecessary. Traders and hawker union leaders are to blame for the situation that has brought New Market under the administration scanner. I have told Rehan he had no business being confrontational. The traders should also have restrained themselves,” said New Market Hawkers Union leader Md Nadeem.
Lakhi Nath Shaw, who leads another union with members who hawk on Bertram Street, blamed Rehan for being hot-headed. “We have to coexist. We can’t steamroll traders,” he said, adding it would have been better had mayor Firhad Hakim paid a visit when all hawkers were on the road doing business to understand the situation, rather than on Friday evening, when sellers had been removed.
Traders, somewhat pacified after police acted on the complaints, said they did not want to fight but they would not be browbeaten by hawkers. “People who shopped at New Market for generations don’t visit any more due to the hawker problem. We are not against hawkers but they have to be disciplined,” said Ashraf Ali, joint secretary of SS Hogg Market Traders’ Association and Joint Traders Federation, representing eight markets and over 5,000 shops in the locality.
Being a Sunday, all shops stayed shut but a handful of hawkers were back in business. “My cart is within the yellow line. I am sitting today for some earning. If cops ask me to move, I will,” said Ashok Kumar, a hawker. The crowd was also thin in the evening. Maufaz Alam, a hawker at Humayun Place, said, “Most are aware of Saturday’s tension and don’t want to get caught.”
Manami Ghosh, a shopper from Chetla said, “Hawkers’ livelihood must not get affected but we should also get clear passage for movement. I found the area less crowded on Sunday as the encroachments have been removed.”