Kolkata, July 4 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday gave an assurance that there will be no hawker eviction drive by the state administration led by him in any corner of the state till Durga Puja, scheduled in October this year.

The assurance by the Chief Minister was given at a meeting with Asit Saha, the state president of the Hawkers’ Joint Action Committee, at the state secretariat, Nabanna.

Speaking to media persons at the end of the meeting with the Chief Minister, Saha said that the atmosphere of fear over evictions prevailing among hawkers across the state had finally ended following the assurance.

“The Chief Minister had assured that, on humanitarian grounds, there will be no hawker eviction till Durga Puja this year. Not only that, the Chief Minister assured us of taking up the matter with the Indian Railways Department for a solution for hawkers running their businesses at different railway stations or on land owned by the railways,” Saha said.

An important meeting of the hawkers’ organisation with the Secretary of the State Municipal Affairs Department is scheduled to be held next week to determine issues relating to the rehabilitation of hawkers and future policy on the matter.

At that meeting, there will be a detailed discussion on the identity cards of hawkers and the future of their businesses. With the assurance from the Chief Minister that there will be no eviction drive till October, lakhs of hawkers and their families across the state have heaved a sigh of relief.

Since the new government led by Adhikari took charge, there have been eviction drives involving hawkers at various railway stations in the state. Notices were also issued in some markets. Hawkers had been facing severe hardship because of these actions and had also been demanding rehabilitation.

The latest announcement by the state government is being seen as a major relief for the hawker community.

–IANS

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