The Proper Solution to the Demolition Drive in West Bengal
Coming straight to the point, were the demolitions of stalls necessary? Yes. The point of this post isn't about arguing whether it was right or wrong, but about discussing and arriving to a solution which will benifit both the State and it's Citizens.
The main question is will those Stall Vendors be allocated Vending Zones? This action seems to be very similar to those which took place in Rani Kamlapati and New Delhi Railway station where dozens of stalls were evicted and the station was handed over to Adani Group or other private conglomerate in decades of lease for redevelopment.
Okay it's great demolishing illegally acquired shops and stalls, but will it make sense if they are handed over to the Private Conglomerates in lease?
What's the proper solution? From my POV, the govt must draw out specific vending zones near the station areas, issuing vending license or certificates for the same by charging a fee (paying a fee to the govt for running a legal shop is much better than paying so much money to the police and local leaders to run an illegal one). Its better if these Vendors get to continue their business but under strict government rules, license and allocated areas than handing out stations to the Adani Group for the same. Afterall a government isn't supposed to do business with its citizens but maintain proper law & order by also keeping the micro economy stable :)
Do let me know what your solution is to the problem, I may have missed out on a lot of points.