Kolkata, May 18, 2026
It is more than four decades now that India’s noted pop-singer Usha Uthup first rendered the celebrated lines in her ode to Kolkata (then spelt Calcutta), calling the city “beautiful” despite the several challenges and obstacles that its residents have been facing through the times.
The song mentions the city then hosting incessant political rallies and marches, hawkers blocking footpaths, frequent power cuts, environmental and traffic problems, handcarts and rickshaws blocking roads… And, “…yet you are so beautiful, Kolkata,” she crooned.
Her song opened with a tribute that contrasts Kolkata’s enduring charm with a growing urban flashpoint: the city’s sprawling roadside hawker economy, now the focus of recent eviction drives in central commercial corridors.
“Ekhane pothe-ghate michhile sari-sari, Hawker footpath-e bendhechhe ghorbari, Tobi tumi sundari koto Kolkata,” which can loosely be translated into “Here on the streets are processions and rallies in rows, Hawkers have set up houses on the sidewalks, Yet, how beautiful you are, Kolkata.”
Several pedestrians continue to complain of the impediment they face with the vendors having taken over the sidewalks at busy marketplaces and public places at Esplanade, Gariahaat, near railway stations, among others. And for many, hawkers provided cheaper alternatives to the branded goods in adjacent high-profile shops.
There have been some symbolic “hawker uchhed abhijan” or “remove hawker operation” by the administration, but these were temporary “removals” as the makeshift structures returned at the exact spot within a few days.
Uthup’s song, incidentally, was released in the early days of the Communist rule in West Bengal. They had positioned the government as a worker-friendly, supporter of the impoverished masses; and thus, the administration would think twice before going for any sustained “hawker uchhed abhijan”.
There was a lack of political will and thus was without an iron hand. The vendors’ wares include clothing to stationery, from household items to artwork and foodstuffs.
For example, a large part of the commercial area of Camac Street in central Kolkata has them selling food for all palates. Though they encroach upon the sidewalk, commuters to the several office buildings and shops along the road know these were their cheaper alternative to the restaurants alongside.
Similarly, from the congested Burrabazar to Lalbazar and New Market areas, dense wholesale and retail trade drew large numbers of stall-based sellers. College Street, with high pedestrian traffic, also boasts bookshops selling new and old, sometimes out-of-print or sought-after collections at lower prices.
These corridors are among the most visible concentrations of pavement vending, where stalls often spill onto carriageways and obstruct emergency access.
The hawkers are mostly migrants from neighbouring districts and also states who rely on street vending as their primary income. Street vending in Kolkata is a mix of survival livelihoods and small-scale commerce, often operating without formal licences or fixed premises.
The overpowering presence at times has been causing traffic congestion, blocked footpaths – increasing commute times and pedestrian risk; sanitation and waste management issues, with limited access to disposal and drainage leading to localised flooding and health risks.
Many areas in Kolkata, a city with occasional dilapidated and hazardous buildings, face access problems during an emergency.
After well over half a century, local authorities have begun systematic eviction and decongestion operations in central commercial zones, focusing on high-visibility stretches to restore pedestrian space and traffic flow.
Such operations have been reported from central Kolkata market belts and major thoroughfares, with municipal teams removing unauthorised stalls and relocating some vendors to designated vending zones. However, the drives have also prompted protests from hawker associations and calls for negotiated, humane relocation plans.
Yet, Kolkata needs a facelift to be really “beautiful”, bereft of the chokeholds that Uthup’s ode mentions.(Agency)
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