Dilip Ghosh said that the pavements and footpaths in the state should be freed for the pedestrians as they pay tax to the government or civic bodies.
Image: IANS
Pavements and footpaths in Kolkata will be freed from illegal hawkers’ stalls, similar to the action being taken at various railway stations in West Bengal, said state Rural Development and Panchayat Affairs Minister Dilip Ghosh on Sunday.
“Be it railway stations or the pavements and footpaths in Kolkata — these are not places for running a business. This should clearly be understood by those who are running businesses after illegally encroaching such areas and also by those who have allowed or encouraged them to encroach in the past,” IANS quoted Ghosh as saying.
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Ghosh stated that the pavements and footpaths in the state should be freed for the pedestrians as they pay tax to the government or civic bodies.
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“At the same time, these illegal encroachers also block the entrances of shops whose owners also pay taxes. This is totally unfair for the people, both pedestrian and legal show-owners, since both these categories of people pay tax,” Ghosh added.
The West Bengal minister further stated that due to the illegal encroachments on the footpaths and pavements, the pedestrians are forced to walk through the middle of streets and roads, thereby risking their lives.
“As it is, the roads in Kolkata are highly congested. Traffic jams are a daily affair. In addition, if pedestrians are forced to walk in the middle of the streets, the risks are aggravated,” Ghosh said.
He noted that such things need to be sorted out.
“It is better if the illegal encroachers blocking the footpaths and pavements move away on their own. Otherwise, the state will act as per law,” he cautioned.
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