Overview
- The joint clearance, which began late Saturday and ran into early Sunday, removed rows of makeshift stalls from the Ganga ghat approach and the bus stand near Howrah station.
- Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, Eastern Railway officials and Howrah City Police led the operation under heavy deployment, and officers kept watch in the area on Sunday morning.
- An RPF officer said roughly 90 encroachments were taken down, while other reports put the count at more than 150, reflecting differing tallies across outlets.
- Hawkers said many got little notice, described steep losses from decades-old stalls being razed and asked for rehabilitation or designated vending zones.
- Leaders in the new BJP government framed the clearances as part of a broader anti-encroachment campaign linked to public safety concerns after a recent fatal fire in Tiljala, and similar removals were reported at Sealdah.