Darjeeling municipality begins eviction drives to decongest key areas

DARJEELING, : In a move to decongest the town, the civic authorities here dismantled temporary stalls set up by hawkers at Mahakal Market, below Chowrasta today. This action follows an announcement by GTA chief executive, Anit Thapa declaring Chowrasta a vendor-free zone effective from August 15.

"For years, the hawkers have been encroaching on this route, causing congestion and complaints from the public about the difficulty in walking through the area. The time had come to address this issue,” stated Darjeeling municipality chairman Dipen Thakuri. He informed that they have a resettlement project for the hawkers and that they will start the project from today itself.

The project involves relocating the hawkers to a hall constructed near the current location. The hawkers will occupy the lower floor of a new platform at Chowrasta, which will also feature amenities like a children’s park, a space for senior citizens to sit or exercise and a busking center for youth. Funded by the GTA, the project aims to rehabilitate one group of hawkers within six months, with the entire project slated for completion in subsequent phases.

In the interim, the 182 hawkers will sell their goods from the 51 permanent stalls already present in the area, operating on a rotational basis.

This move comes after a prolonged struggle for the hawkers, who were first removed from Nehru Road in 2012 by the previous municipality board. Despite the creation of 51 permanent stalls for their use, the hawkers deemed these too small for their needs, leading to the establishment of temporary stalls in front of the permanent structures in 2013. This resulted in severe congestion, prompting today's decisive action.

“We are happy as we are getting justice after a very long time and all our 182 members are happy. It was very difficult for us to sell from these small stalls. The permanent solution will prove to be a help to us,” said Sheela Gurung, one of the affected hawkers.

The municipality plans to continue similar eviction drives in other congested areas, including the space below the Mahakal temple at Mall Road near Chowrasta. Efforts have already begun to clear hawkers from Nehru Road and other crowded spots, ensuring smoother pedestrian movement.

In addition to these initiatives, Thakuri revealed plans to introduce a tourist tax within the municipality area, set at Rs. 10 with the tender process already completed.