Kolkata, May 22 (IANS) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday put an interim stay on the ongoing hawker eviction drive near Howrah Station in Kolkata.

A petition was filed before the Calcutta High Court challenging the exercise undertaken by the state government and seeking a stay on the eviction drive.

The matter came up for hearing before the single-judge bench of Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya on Friday and, after a detailed hearing, Justice Bhattacharya put an interim stay on the hawker eviction exercise till the last week of June.

The next date of hearing in the matter has been fixed for June 10.

While granting the interim stay, Justice Bhattacharya observed that the hawkers who were facing or could face eviction in the matter should also get a fair opportunity to present their arguments before the court.

Former CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya appeared on behalf of the petitioners.

He argued before the court that the hawkers run their shops by paying rent to the Hooghly River Waterway Transport, which functions under the West Bengal government.

“They pay rent regularly. I also have their rent receipts. I have submitted the receipts before the court along with my application in the case. The petitioners have valid trade licences, GST and service tax registrations. The Hooghly River Waterway Transport had also informed the railway authorities about this. There is no signature on the notice issued by the railway authorities for eviction. The notices were only pasted on the wall. They were not served on anyone personally. My appeal to the court is that these notices should be declared null and void immediately,” Bhattacharya argued.

When Justice Bhattacharya questioned the railways counsel on whether the eviction drive was being carried out in such haste to implement any development projects, the latter said Howrah Station had been earmarked as one of the railway stations where cleanliness drives would be conducted under the Amrit Bharat project launched in 2024.

Finally, at the conclusion of the arguments, the single-judge bench observed that the hawkers should also be given a fair chance to present their arguments before the court. Justice Bhattacharya also directed the representative of Hooghly River Waterway Transport to remain present before the court on the next date of hearing on June 10.

–IANS

src/pgh