4 hrs ago
West Bengal's Vendor Drives Defy Street Vending Law
Street vendors earn money by selling things on pavements and near busy stations.
After a new chief minister took office, officials began removing many vendors in parts of West Bengal.
A court stopped the removal near Howrah station.
The chief minister later said vendors would not be evicted before Durga Puja.
A law says the government must first count vendors and give them certificates.
It also says officials should plan special places where vendors can work.
West Bengal has not finished or published this process.
The article says moving a vendor far from customers, without affordable fees and basic facilities, could end the vendor’s business.
Police, railway staff and civic officials cleared hawkers from pavements and railway land across Calcutta, Howrah and Hooghly after May 9.
The Calcutta High Court stayed the drive around Howrah station on May 22, while the chief minister later promised no evictions until Durga Puja.
The 2014 street-vending law requires surveys, vending certificates, designated zones and vendor representation on Town Vending Committees.
West Bengal has delayed implementation: an earlier committee was challenged, a digital survey was halted, and planned certificates have not been publicly issued.
The article says relocation plans lack published locations, fees, services and storage, making “rehabilitation” impractical for many vendors.
- Who
- West Bengal’s government, police, railway staff, civic officials and street vendors, including hawkers’ organizations.
- What
- Officials began clearing vendors, while the article argues that the state has not followed required survey, certification and relocation procedures.
- Where
- Calcutta, Howrah and Hooghly, including areas around Howrah station and railway land.
- When
- The drive began within a fortnight of May 9; the court stay came on May 22, and a no-eviction promise was made in early July. A proposed deadline is October.
- Why
- Officials sought to clear pavements and other land, while the article says proper vendor identification, locations, pricing and facilities were not yet established.
State and civic enforcement
Vendors and legal protections
Clearing public spaces
State and civic enforcement
Officials moved to clear pavements and railway land of hawkers in Calcutta, Howrah and Hooghly.
Vendors and legal protections
The article says vendors should not remain indefinitely on blocked footpaths, but argues that removal must follow the law and provide a workable alternative.
Relocation and vending zones
State and civic enforcement
The state can designate vending zones and seek to move vendors from pavements and high-traffic areas.
Vendors and legal protections
Vendors argue that a location away from customer footfall can destroy their livelihoods; the article says locations, fees, facilities and storage have not been published.
Eviction procedure
State and civic enforcement
Without a completed register or certificates, enforcement can proceed without a vendor having documents to challenge removal.
Vendors and legal protections
The 2014 law requires a survey and certificates before relocation or eviction, and vendors face significant legal costs when contesting removals.
Key facts
- Relevant law
- The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
- Survey requirement
- The law requires a survey of all existing vendors at least once every five years.
- Vendor representation
- Forty percent of every Town Vending Committee must consist of vendors.
- Calcutta survey figures
- About 59,000 hawkers were recorded in 2015; a 2024 digital exercise received 54,000 applications, with about 14,000 accepted.
- Planned certificates
- More than 8,700 certificates of vending were reportedly planned, but none had been published according to the article.
- Estimated Bengal hawkers
- The Hawker Sangram Committee’s general-secretary estimated around 1.6 million hawkers in West Bengal in 2020.
- Chief minister’s assurance
- In early July, Suvendu Adhikari said there would be no evictions anywhere in the state until Durga Puja.
Sources
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