‘Declare Darjeeling Mall Road area as a hawker-free zone’

The civil society along with representatives of 35 welfare organisations, have strongly condemned the return of the hawkers, reoccupying the Chowrasta stretch and the Municipality’s inability to prevent this

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 9 Jan 2024, Darjeeling: The Joint Action Committee (Chowrasta-Mall) has demanded that the Darjeeling Mall be declared a “hawker-free zone.” The committee, comprising members of the civil society along with representatives of 35 welfare organisations, have strongly condemned the return of the hawkers, reoccupying the Chowrasta stretch and the Municipality’s inability to prevent this. 

They handed over a memorandum to the Darjeeling Municipality chairman on Tuesday with the demand. 

Around 106 hawkers were evicted from the Darjeeling Mall Road area in April 2023 during the G-20 Summit in Darjeeling. They were rehabilitated in the premises of the Gorkha Ranga Mancha Bhawan, also in the Darjeeling Mall. 

However on December 29, the hawkers forcefully reoccupied the stretch of Mall Road from where they had been evicted earlier. 

“It is a considered opinion that Chowrasta-Mall and the Mahakal Mandir area is the crown of Darjeeling and a Biodiversity Heritage site, so its preservation and protection is the prime need of the hour. If the matter remains unresolved, we, the social organisations, will be compelled to take strong steps. 

We request your good office to take an early but strong action officially declaring Chowrasta-Mall area as a hawker-free zone so that the sanctity of Chowrasta-Mall and the biodiversity heritage site is preserved for generations to come,” stated the memorandum. 

“The Municipality admitted their inability to remove the hawkers. They further admitted that a resolution passed by the Board of Councillors declaring the Mall as a hawker-free zone already exists and the Municipality’s inability to implement it. 

They stated that the hawkers cannot be removed until a suitable place for relocation and that the hawkers will not be allowed to put up any form of roof on top of the stalls,” stated Bharat Prakash Rai, Convenor of the Joint Action Committee (JAC,) after meeting the civic authorities. 

The JAC has appealed for the implementation of 144 CRPC in the Mall area. “The Sub Divisional Officer, Sadar has called for a meeting of all the parties, including the hawkers and the Municipality to hear our prayer for Section 144 CrPC on January 16. We are banking on this to save the Mall,” added the convenor. 

Incidentally, the Municipality and GTA had started work to set up a hawker’s market at Chowrasta to accommodate the 106, however local residents, green groups objected. A police complaint was also lodged following which the construction work was halted. “We have told them that there will be no compromise. 

We will not allow any structure to come up in the Mall, that will set a precedent,” added Rai. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/declare-darjeeling-mall-road-area-as-a-hawker-free-zone-547545