Kolkata

Amid a political debate over the BJP government's anti-encroachment drives in West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday delivered a blunt message to hawkers occupying pavements and roads, asserting that "nobody has the right to encroach upon footpaths", while promising a rehabilitation policy and welfare schemes for those affected.

Addressing a press conference here on the occasion of the 12 years of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Adhikari sought to balance the state government's aggressive anti-encroachment drives with assurances of a humane approach, saying public convenience would take precedence, but genuine hawkers would not be abandoned.

"People have the right to walk on footpaths. Nobody has the right to occupy them," the chief minister said.

The remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing eviction drives across Kolkata and several parts of the state that have triggered a sharp political debate, with supporters arguing that public spaces must be reclaimed and critics warning that thousands of livelihoods are at risk.

Adhikari made it clear that the government was unwilling to roll back its campaign against encroachments on roads and pavements.

"No one has given me the right to hand over Kolkata's wide roads and footpaths to anyone. I am accountable to the people. Wherever public interest is involved, that will get priority. A handful of individuals or groups cannot take precedence over the larger public good," he said.

The chief minister, however, repeatedly stressed that the government would distinguish between illegal occupation of public spaces and the livelihood concerns of small traders.

He said cases where hawkers were operating on vacant government land that did not affect public movement would be examined sympathetically.

"Where there is surplus government land and no public requirement, the matter will be viewed humanely," he said.

Seeking to soften concerns over displacement, Adhikari announced that the government was working on measures for hawkers and pointed to existing central welfare schemes targeted at street vendors.

"The state government will gradually bring schemes for hawkers. The government of India already has schemes for them. But situations where entire roads are blocked, and even motorcycles cannot pass, cannot continue," he said.

Without naming any political party, Adhikari cited congestion in areas such as New Market, Rajabazar and Metiabruz in Kolkata to argue that unchecked encroachment had become a governance issue rather than merely a livelihood issue.

"The government will act humanely, and possibilities of rehabilitation on unused government land will be explored. But the encroachments will have to be removed first," he said.

The comments are significant as they constitute Adhikari's most detailed remarks yet on the eviction drives that have emerged as one of the most politically sensitive issues confronting the new government.

For decades, hawkers have been an integral part of Bengal's urban landscape and an influential political constituency courted by successive governments.

Attempts to regulate or remove roadside markets have often run into political resistance and street protests.

The BJP government, however, has sought to frame the issue as one of restoring public spaces and enforcing the rule of law, while opponents have accused it of importing a 'bulldozer model' that disregards the livelihood concerns of the urban poor.

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Adhikari's remarks on Friday suggested the government is attempting to walk a fine line between the two positions -- maintaining the momentum of the eviction drives while signalling that rehabilitation and welfare measures would accompany enforcement.