Hawkers’ protest stalls opening of Spencer’s outlet in Kolkata

The 6,000-strong crowd tore away placards, set fire to gift coupons and shouted slogans, forcing Sanjiv Goenka, vice-chairman, RGP Enterprises, to leave the venue. A posse of armed policemen deployed at the spot did not lift a finger, indicating the state government’s stand. “We will always oppose private retail by big business houses as we do not want competition,” said Shaktiman Ghosh, general secretary, National Hawker’s Federation. The retail group, he said, has to give an assurance that they will not sell any product other than the branded ones. “On June 13, we had a meeting with the home minister and discussed the issue in detail. We are hoping to get a decision soon,” Ghosh added.

“It is not possible for hawkers to compete with Birlas and Goenkas. This kind of retail marketing is directly affecting approximately 12 crore hawkers,” said Sudipto Mitra, organising secretary, Hawker’s Sangram Committee. “We have the support of most of the trade unions — the Congress, the BJP and the TMC. But we did not get the support of CITU,” Mitra added.

“It is not clear how our outlet will affect their business. I do not know if the hawkers have any political backing,” said Goenka. The company, he said, was planning to open 20 malls in the state.

The incident, though, came as a big blow to the customers who had been waiting outside the outlet. “There is no point in stopping Spencer. We want the outlet to be opened soon. We will get everything under one roof and at a reasonable price,” said Suvra Saha, a customer. Shakuntala Sarkar, manager of corporate communication, Spencer’s, assured that the outlet will open in another day or two. “Our business is legitimate and transparent and we cannot keep our store closed like this,” Sarkar added.