Kolkata, 26 August (H.S.): The controversy over a minister's objection to a pavement-dwelling family heating milk on a roadside footpath continues to generate political reactions. West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday said that encroachment of footpaths had become a “fashion” in the state and asserted that such encroachments must be removed.

“Footpath encroachment has become a fashion in West Bengal. Political leaders have not cleared these encroachments for years for their own benefit. But this has to be done. People are now adjusting,” Ghosh said.

The controversy began during an anti-encroachment drive by the BJP-led government. Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul had been visiting different parts of the city as part of the initiative. During a recent visit near Park Street, she reportedly objected to a woman heating milk for her child in an open area on the footpath and instructed her to stop.

The minister later learnt that the family lived on the footpath and did not have a home. However, she maintained that even if the family was living on the pavement, milk could not be heated in such an open space on the roadside. Her remarks triggered a controversy.

On Tuesday, MLA Sajol Ghosh took the family to Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari’s ‘Janata Darbar’. The Chief Minister subsequently directed the municipal authorities to arrange accommodation for the family.

Reacting to the wider issue of footpath encroachment, Dilip Ghosh said the focus should not be limited to a single family. He argued that increasing traffic and pedestrian movement had made it necessary to clear encroachments from roads and pavements.

“Vehicles have increased and the movement of people has increased. If roads become narrower, everyone faces difficulties. If the remaining encroachments are removed, the roads will become sufficiently wider,” he said.

Ghosh also said he had met the family concerned a day earlier. According to him, the family members said they had no complaints against anyone and expressed their faith in the Chief Minister.

“Now everyone is understanding and adjusting. We also appeal to everyone to work together to make the city cleaner. People are cooperating as well. It will take some time to complete the entire process,” Ghosh said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey