If you follow the law then you will get electricity connection. Kolkata Municipality is going to give this message to bring justice to the hawkers. The municipality is taking initiative to provide CESC electricity connections to all the street vendors doing business as per the specific laws of the municipality.
Recently, Kolkata Municipality and Kolkata Police conducted a survey. This shows that many hawkers are doing business according to the law. So, to encourage others, the Kolkata Municipality wants to reward those ‘law-abiding’ hawkers with electricity connections.
Debasish Kumar, co-chairman of the Mayor’s Council and City-hawker committee, said, “We have seen that some hawkers want to do business according to the law. Therefore, in recognition of them, the Calcutta Municipality will arrange for the identity card and electricity connection of the CESC.
In this context, a city official said that tin sheds would be provided to hawkers in some areas of the footpath so that pedestrians could walk freely on the footpath. According to him, many hawkers are demanding electricity connection from CSC.
According to a city official, by law, at least two-thirds of the space must be left on the sidewalk. Pedestrians who have made tin sheds for hawkers are moving freely. This tin shed is built in a part of Gariahat.
However, many street vendors in Kolkata are already working on electricity connections on CESC lines. They are getting electricity connection by installing meter themselves or at home near their shop. Apart from this, hawkers are getting electricity connections by installing meters in the local hawker union office.
While some use induction to sell cooked food on footpaths, most hawkers still use coal-fired ovens. City officials feel that if hawkers get electricity connections, they too will be forced to use induction instead of heating.
CESC has also received positive signals in this regard. A CESC official said that they have spoken to the municipality in this regard. The CESC official said that the hawkers can take the meter either individually or in joint names at the specified address.