Kolkata: Based on the survey conducted by it as part of its hawker policy, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will soon begin handing over vending certificates to registered hawkers.
The civic body had last year conducted a hawker survey, both physical and digital, to identify hawkers and get them registered. This was done to streamline their trade in a bid to prevent random encroachment of pavements. Several hawking zones were identified where the registered hawkers would be given designated spaces for trade.
According to the KMC’s survey, the number of registered hawkers in the city is around 54,000. The survey recorded the place of business, name, PAN and Aadhaar card details of each hawker. In addition, the location of the hawkers was precisely marked through digital geo-tagging. This will ensure they are not moving out of their designated spaces.
According to the KMC officials, in addition to demarcating specific places for hawkers to do business, non-vending zones were also identified. IT is being expected that the streamlining of hawkers will reduce traffic congestion and help prevent road accidents by leaving adequate space on the pavement for pedestrians who are otherwise pushed onto the road due to hawkers grabbing footpaths.
The main objective of the hawker policy is to reduce encroachment and ensure the convenience of pedestrians. Mayor Firhad Hakim said that everyone has the right to earn livelihood but not by putting others in jeopardy. “We are not against hawkers but we want safety for pedestrians,” he had said.