But shoppers finally get to drive up to New Mkt

Kolkata: Last Friday, Sudeep Ghosh of Bakul Bagan Row drove down to New Market after nearly 15 years when a friend told him that Bertram Street and Humayun Place that had been run over by hawkers had been cleared in the latest pushback drive.
“I had stopped going to New Market as it had become inaccessible by car due to the over-crowded streets, half of which were occupied by hawkers.In addition, parking was a major problem. So when I learnt that the hawkers had been pushed back, I did not wish to miss the opportunity," recounted Ghosh.
Though the hawker stalls on Bertram Street, Humayun Place and Lindsay Street were shut when Ghosh visited New Market last week, even after the stalls reopened this Monday, police have ensured that stalls remain restricted to only a small portion of the road and leave the rest for motorists.
Thus, instead of three lines of hawkers on Bertram Street, only a single file of hawkers was allowed along the wall of New Market. The rest have occupied the opposite pavement, keeping much of the carriageway free.
Jadavpur resident Subhasree Basu was surprised on Wednesday evening when she came out of New Empire restaurant and bar with her family and was able to hail an Uber right in front of the cinema hall on Humayun Place.
“On several occasions earlier, I have had to walk down to JL Nehru Road to hail a cab. On Wednesday, it was pouring but I could hail a cab right there in front of the cinema hall,” said Basu.
Equally excited was Baguiati resident Debaleena Dutta who had come to New Market on Thursday and booked a cab right from outside Hogg Market. “I hated coming to New Market as I had to walk all the way till S N Banerjee Road or JL Nehru Road to hail a taxi. On Thursday, however, I got a pick-up in less than three minutes,” she said.
App cab driver Tapan Das said even he couldn’t believe his eyes when the google map guided him to take Lindsay Street, Bertram Street and Humayun Place that were not shown in “red mark” (signifying congestion) any more. “I double checked with the passenger on Wednesday evening if the road was actually free and motorable and only after the passenger assured me that the road was free of congestion did I drive in,” said Das.
Shyam Kundu, a resident of Sovabazar who had come to Sreeram Arcade with two of his friends, was also pleasantly surprised when he parked his car on Bertram Street on Thursday. “This is the first time I could park my car on this road. Earlier, I had to park it far away on Sudder Street but not any more. This is how the marketplace should remain,” said Kundu.