Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee on Sunday said she favours permanent settlement for
`recognised` hawkers.
"I want a permanent settlement for recognised hawkers
and I know some politicians don`t want it for the sake of
earning money from them," Banerjee said.
Talking to a TV channel in the backdrop of fire in a
city building, Banerjee said she was concerned about use of
inflammable materials, like plastic sheets, by hawkers in
congested areas which would have serious effect in case fire
breaks out.
A huge sum is allegedly extorted from hawkers by a
section of civic authorities, police and the unions every
year.
This is why they are against issuing ID cards which
would give hawkers a legitimate right to carry on with their
trade, Hawker Sangram Committee officials said.
Since `Operation Sunshine` was launched to evict
hawkers in 1997, the number of hawkers had grown in leaps and
bounds and was now estimated over 1.2 lakh.
There had been some initiative during the Left Front
government for the distribution of identity cards but it never
materialised.
PTI
