Kolkata: Illegal stalls, occupying road space and pavements in Salt Lake, have started moving out after instructions from the civic administration. So far, encroachments had reportedly been cleared of two stretches, one of them being the pavement outside the FD Block Park that had grown into a popular hangout zone as tea and snacks stalls mushroomed.Five to six vendors, who sold tea and fast food on the pavement outside the park, vacated on Friday. The makeshift tin sheds were found empty, and are likely to be dismantled soon. “Unauthorised encroachments are being cleared from in front of the FD park and near Ramakrishna Island. More stretches will follow,” said Bidhannagar MLA Sharadwat Mukherjee, also the state health minister.A platform in front of a shop near City Centre, where vendors used to sell tea and fast food, has also been removed. The vendors shifted out after Mukherjee paid a visit a few weeks ago. Chairs and tables, which were placed on the pavement in front of a sweet shop outside the mall have been cleared, too.Ever since he became the MLA, Mukherjee has been making rounds of Salt Lake, including block markets, to identify illegal roadside stalls that have taken over pavements. A few weeks ago, Mukherjee inspected the area around City Centre after complaints of pavement encroachment. He identified about 20 stalls that operated illegally from pavements. Mukherjee said the stalls were allowed to function for now and that they would look to rehabilitate the vendors elsewhere, following approval from the state urban development and municipal affairs department.
