High Court Greenlights Eviction of Illegal Hawkers from Serampore Station Area

Baby Chakraborty, KalimNews, Kolkata, April 10, 2025 :The Calcutta High Court has upheld the railway authority’s decision to evict illegal hawkers from Serampore railway station and its adjoining areas in Hooghly district, marking a key legal milestone in the Centre’s ongoing ‘Amrit Bharat’ railway modernization project.

During a hearing on Thursday, Justice Amrita Sinha ruled that the eviction notices issued by the Eastern Railway were valid and required no judicial intervention. This came after the court had previously instructed the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Howrah to offer hawkers a chance to submit documentation proving their legal right to conduct business at the station premises. However, according to submissions made in court by the Additional Solicitor General, not a single hawker could present valid authorization or licenses during the verification process.

In light of this, the High Court determined that the railway authority's plan to remove encroachments was lawful and could proceed without further delay. The operation is expected to commence soon as part of the wider infrastructural revamp under the ‘Amrit Bharat’ project.

Opposition to the move had been led by the Eastern Railway Howrah Division Hawker Union, backed by the Trinamool Congress, which filed a case challenging the eviction notice. Represented in court by advocate Sarhanya Banerjee, the union argued that the hawkers had been conducting their business at the location for many years. Though they lacked formal licenses, they were residents of the area, and the station stalls were their sole means of livelihood.

Despite acknowledging these humanitarian concerns, the court maintained that operating on railway premises without legal sanction could not be allowed, especially when adequate notice and opportunity had been provided to prove legitimacy.

With the judicial clearance now in place, the Serampore eviction drive is poised to begin imminently. The development has sparked mixed reactions — while railway officials and passengers welcomed the move citing safety and decongestion benefits, hawkers and their families face uncertainty as their businesses face removal.

This ruling underscores the judiciary’s emphasis on lawful land use while also putting the spotlight on the recurring tension between development imperatives and the informal economy’s survival.