West Bengal Illegal Encroachment Drive Targets Kolkata Rail Hubs And Markets

The new BJP-led government in West Bengal has launched a large illegal encroachment drive, using bulldozers at key public spaces in Kolkata and nearby areas. Hundreds of hawkers and structures around Howrah and Sealdah stations have already been removed, as the administration signals a strict line on unauthorised stalls, buildings and long-running informal markets across the state.

State minister Dilip Ghosh described the campaign as just the first phase of a wider crackdown. Ghosh, who represents Kharagpur Sadar in the Assembly, warned that bulldozers would be used across districts if people ignored rules on government land. The minister said, "The new government has initiated this process from day one. We will not tolerate any form of encroachment on government land".

Illegal encroachment drive: clampdown at Howrah and Sealdah stations

The most extensive illegal encroachment drive so far took place late on Saturday at Howrah and Sealdah, two of India’s busiest railway hubs. Officials said the eviction stretched past midnight and directly affected at least 500 hawkers and stalls. Authorities argued that removal of long-standing kiosks was needed to clear passenger routes and regain public land within station limits.

According to officials quoted by PTI, platforms 1 to 21 at Sealdah station were cleared of hawkers and stalls to improve passenger movement. Around 250 vendors were removed from the terminal area. At Howrah, agencies demolished rows of makeshift shops from the Ganga ghat up to the station premises, taking down fruit, food, toy and daily-need kiosks that had worked there for years.

In Howrah, the operation combined the Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, railway officials and Howrah City Police. Bulldozers and earthmovers broke down temporary sheds and pucca extensions along key approach roads. PTI reported that about 150 stalls and nearly 200 hawkers were removed. Some vendors tried to block the action, leading to arguments and minor scuffles with security personnel.

Illegal encroachment drive: political backing, rhetoric and objectives

The ruling BJP has framed the illegal encroachment drive as a corrective step after 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule. Party leaders claim the earlier government encouraged informal markets and illegal construction. On Monday, ANI quoted minister Dilip Ghosh as saying, "Not only Howrah station, but every single station in Bengal has been turned into a marketplace. It is overflowing with filth. There is absolutely no space for women, children, or adults to sit. The [Indian] Railways will reclaim its own property and utilise it to provide services to the public. To achieve this, whether it be the Railways or the Bengal Police, everyone will extend their full support".

The administration has linked the campaign to broader civic issues. Officials and urban planners have long said that unchecked hawking, unauthorised extensions and illegal multi-storey buildings increase congestion and strain old infrastructure. The new government says bulldozers and demolition drives will now be used across Kolkata and other cities in West Bengal to tackle such risks and clear public spaces.

Illegal encroachment drive: Topsia–Tiljala demolition after factory fire

Before the station operations, the Suvendu Adhikari government had already moved against illegal construction in Kolkata’s Topsia–Tiljala belt, a major leather manufacturing cluster. On 12 May, demolition teams with bulldozers entered the area under protection from Kolkata Police and CRPF. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation had earlier marked Topsia–Tiljala as a red zone for demolition, along with Garden Reach, Metiaburz, Rajabazar, Burabazar and the EM Bypass stretch.

KMC officials told The Times of India that over 1,000 structures in Topsia–Tiljala had been flagged for demolition. The official estimate suggested that at least 70% of buildings put up in the past decade there were illegal. The move came a day after a fire in an illegal leather factory, inside a multi-storey building in Tiljala, killed two people, prompting orders for strict action from the new chief minister.

Following the blaze, West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari directed KMC to pull down the building and declared a "zero-tolerance policy" against illegal constructions in Kolkata. State minister Agnimitra Paul supported the crackdown in Topsia, stating that "If there is an illegal construction, we will send you a notice. But we will not allow you to operate if you do not have any documents to prove the legality of the structure".

Illegal encroachment drive: court interventions and legal challenges

The demolition push in Topsia–Tiljala triggered immediate legal and political challenges. On Friday, Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury of the Kolkata High Court issued an interim stay on further demolitions in the belt until 22 June. Residents had filed petitions saying they were evicted without proper notice or due process, and the court said several legal questions around the eviction needed more examination.

The High Court also stepped in during another removal effort by the Eastern Railways. Last week, the railway authorities tried to evict slum dwellers around the Brace Bridge station in southern Kolkata. That exercise was halted after the court noted that legal aspects of the eviction process required closer scrutiny, slowing the administration’s larger plan to clear railway land.

Illegal encroachment drive: long-term encroachment pattern in Kolkata

Encroachment of public land has been part of Kolkata’s urban landscape for decades. From pavement markets to tea stalls and extended shopfronts, the city often operates in a grey zone between formal licences and informal use. Unauthorised extra floors, tin-shed godowns and buildings raised without proper approval have also become a serious civic concern, adding to worries about safety during disasters.

Nowhere is this long-term pattern more visible than around Howrah and Sealdah stations, where streams of suburban and long-distance passengers intersect with dense street markets. Hawkers around the stations sell tea, cigarettes, vegetables, clothes and cooked food, many operating from the same spots for decades. Their stalls often block walkways, pushing pedestrians onto vehicle lanes and worsening chronic traffic jams outside the transport hubs.

Similar scenes can be seen at Park Circus, Gariahat, Esplanade, Burrabazar and Topsia. In these areas, temporary kiosks, godowns and extra structures have gradually spread over pavements and roads. Lanes that were meant for vehicles now carry a mix of shoppers, carts and parked stalls. Urban planners have repeatedly cautioned that such slow encroachment restricts movement and limits space for emergency services during fires or floods.

The New Market zone in central Kolkata offers another clear example. Vehicles waiting for passengers often find hawkers resting goods on bonnets and roofs, turning parked cars into makeshift display tables. When the owner drives away, hawkers quickly shift stock elsewhere. The narrow lanes surrounding New Market are widely known for hawker encroachment, where traffic regularly slows to a crawl as shoppers squeeze past stalls.

Illegal encroachment drive: protests, clashes and political criticism

Public anger over the demolition of homes and shops has already led to street confrontations. On Sunday, a large crowd gathered at the Seven-Point Crossing in Park Circus, protesting against several issues including the Tiljala and Topsia demolitions. The demonstration turned violent as some protestors threw stones at security personnel, forcing police and central forces to respond with a lathi charge.

At least 10 members of Kolkata Police and central forces were injured in the Park Circus clash, officials said. Images from the area showed personnel using batons to push back protestors on the streets. The Trinamool Congress has sharply criticised the BJP government’s methods and timing, accusing it of targeting poor vendors and residents, even as the administration argues it is enforcing long-ignored rules.

Illegal encroachment drive: vendor accounts and demand for rehabilitation

Many of those affected by the illegal encroachment drive at Howrah and Sealdah returned on Sunday to search through debris for goods. Several hawkers told reporters they had not received adequate notice before demolition. They said some stalls had been in operation for decades and called for official rehabilitation schemes or alternative vending sites if their current spaces were being taken away.

A hawker from Bihar’s Darbhanga, who worked near Howrah station, told The Times of India, "We ran a fast food shop for many years. It's now gone. No notice was issued to us before the shop was demolished,". Another vendor told PTI, "There should be beautification and proper management, but poor vendors should also be rehabilitated," arguing that livelihoods had been suddenly cut off.

Another trader recounted losing a long-running stall in the late-night eviction. "A juice shop we had been running for 15 years was razed around 11.30 PM. We were not given any notice or warning. We have incurred huge losses. Where will we go now?" the hawker told The Times of India. One more affected stall owner told PTI, "We will have to resort to suicide if no rehabilitation is provided," highlighting the depth of fear among vendors.

Illegal encroachment drive: key affected areas and numbers

Data shared by officials and reports from PTI and The Times of India indicate the spread of the current illegal encroachment drive and earlier demolition plans across Kolkata’s neighbourhoods and stations.

Officials say these actions mark only the earliest stage of a longer campaign against unauthorised use of public land in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal.

The new BJP government under Suvendu Adhikari is now under pressure to balance strict enforcement with social impact. Illegal encroachment and unauthorised construction have shaped Kolkata’s streets and stations for decades, and the current illegal encroachment drive is challenging that reality. As demolitions, court orders, protests and demands for rehabilitation continue, the administration will have to answer how it clears public spaces while addressing the livelihoods tied to them.