CPI(ML) Liberation Lok Sabha MP from Arrah and Member of the Standing Committee on Railways, Sudama Prasad, has written to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw strongly opposing the indiscriminate eviction of railway hawkers from platforms and station premises across West Bengal without any rehabilitation.
In his letter dated June 4, Sudama Prasad registered strong protest and deep concern on behalf of concerned citizens, organisations, unions and representatives of railway hawkers and informal workers of West Bengal. He said that for decades, thousands of small hawkers, tea sellers, book vendors, food vendors and petty traders have earned their livelihood in and around railway stations through honest labour. These workers, he said, are an integral part of the railway ecosystem and provide affordable services to lakhs of passengers every day.
Sudama Prasad pointed out that many of these hawkers come from economically vulnerable sections, including Scheduled Castes, minorities, women-headed families and migrant workers, and their families are entirely dependent on these occupations for survival.
The CPI(ML) MP said the ongoing eviction drive is being carried out in an arbitrary and inhuman manner, without any rehabilitation programme, alternative vending arrangement, social security protection or meaningful consultation with the affected families. Such action, he said, is pushing thousands of people towards starvation and unemployment.
He expressed serious concern that while poor traditional hawkers are being removed in the name of “modernisation” and “beautification”, railway station premises are increasingly being handed over to large commercial chains and corporate retail outlets such as Big Bazaar, Spencer’s, Kalyan Jewellers and Pizza Hut.
Calling this approach discriminatory and anti-poor, Sudama Prasad said that public spaces built through public resources cannot be corporatised at the cost of marginalised self-employed workers. Development, he said, cannot mean the destruction of the livelihoods of the poor.
In his letter to the Railway Minister, Sudama Prasad demanded an immediate halt to all eviction drives against railway hawkers in West Bengal until a transparent and humane rehabilitation policy is formulated. He also demanded recognition of the livelihood rights of traditional railway hawkers and vendors through formal certification.
The letter further called for a comprehensive rehabilitation package, including alternative vending zones, licensing mechanisms, financial assistance and social security measures. Sudama Prasad also demanded the constitution of a consultative committee comprising representatives of hawkers’ organisations, trade unions and civil society groups to devise a fair and inclusive policy.
He also underlined that the constitutional right to livelihood guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution must be protected.
Sudama Prasad urged the Railway Minister to intervene immediately and ensure that Indian Railways adopts a humane, democratic and socially responsible approach. He said the Railways must not deepen inequality and economic distress among the poor, and called upon the Ministry to take urgent corrective measures and initiate dialogue with all affected stakeholders.
