Save the Soul of Boi Para: Declare College Street a Living Heritage Zone a
The Issue
To:
1. The Chief Minister, Government of West Bengal
2. The Mayor, Kolkata Municipal Corporation
3. The Chairperson, West Bengal Heritage Commission
Dear Leaders and Policymakers,
Kolkata’s College Street, fondly known as Boi Para, is not just a place to buy and sell books. It is the living, breathing intellectual heart of Bengal. For over two hundred years, this historic street has been a sanctuary for students, a home for the Bengal Renaissance, and a treasure house of knowledge. It stands today as the largest second hand book market in the entire world.
Right now, a deep sense of fear and anxiety grips the second hand book sellers here. Recent urban cleanup drives and warnings against sidewalk crowding have put the livelihoods of hundreds of unlicenced, second hand vendors at risk. Treating College Street like a standard commercial market or a regular traffic clearing zone is a cultural tragedy. These vendors are not illegal encroachers. They are the actual guardians of Kolkata's history and culture.
We, the students, citizens, teachers, and book lovers of Kolkata, urge the government to stop any plans for eviction. Instead, we propose a friendly, practical, and respectful 4 point plan to save the street:
1. Declare College Street a Living Heritage Zone: Give Boi Para a special legal status. Move it out of regular hawking laws and protect it as a cultural monument. This will secure the jobs of the second hand book sellers and invite book lovers from all over the world to visit.
2. Introduce Beautiful Heritage Benches: We can follow the famous Paris model. In Paris, riverside booksellers use uniform, vintage style wooden boxes. Kolkata can introduce similar classic wooden cabinets fixed to the university walls. They can open up into beautiful book displays during the day, and fold completely flat and lock up at night. This keeps the sidewalks perfectly clear for pedestrians after hours without removing a single second hand book seller.
3. Start Community Led Para Adda Councils: Avoid using police force or harsh municipal actions. Instead, let a joint council of second hand book sellers, university students, and local residents manage the street. They will self regulate the space and make sure books never spill onto the active driving roads.
4. Launch the Weekly Kolkata Street Book Festival: Turn College Street into a pedestrian only zone every Sunday evening. The road can become a weekly carnival of literature with street side discussions, poetry readings, and music. This will bring in new crowds and directly boost the income of our second hand book sellers.
Please do not erase our history in the name of modern city planning. Save our second hand book sellers. Save Boi Para.
Sign this petition to protect the soul of Kolkata!
1
The Issue
To:
1. The Chief Minister, Government of West Bengal
2. The Mayor, Kolkata Municipal Corporation
3. The Chairperson, West Bengal Heritage Commission
Dear Leaders and Policymakers,
Kolkata’s College Street, fondly known as Boi Para, is not just a place to buy and sell books. It is the living, breathing intellectual heart of Bengal. For over two hundred years, this historic street has been a sanctuary for students, a home for the Bengal Renaissance, and a treasure house of knowledge. It stands today as the largest second hand book market in the entire world.
Right now, a deep sense of fear and anxiety grips the second hand book sellers here. Recent urban cleanup drives and warnings against sidewalk crowding have put the livelihoods of hundreds of unlicenced, second hand vendors at risk. Treating College Street like a standard commercial market or a regular traffic clearing zone is a cultural tragedy. These vendors are not illegal encroachers. They are the actual guardians of Kolkata's history and culture.
We, the students, citizens, teachers, and book lovers of Kolkata, urge the government to stop any plans for eviction. Instead, we propose a friendly, practical, and respectful 4 point plan to save the street:
1. Declare College Street a Living Heritage Zone: Give Boi Para a special legal status. Move it out of regular hawking laws and protect it as a cultural monument. This will secure the jobs of the second hand book sellers and invite book lovers from all over the world to visit.
2. Introduce Beautiful Heritage Benches: We can follow the famous Paris model. In Paris, riverside booksellers use uniform, vintage style wooden boxes. Kolkata can introduce similar classic wooden cabinets fixed to the university walls. They can open up into beautiful book displays during the day, and fold completely flat and lock up at night. This keeps the sidewalks perfectly clear for pedestrians after hours without removing a single second hand book seller.
3. Start Community Led Para Adda Councils: Avoid using police force or harsh municipal actions. Instead, let a joint council of second hand book sellers, university students, and local residents manage the street. They will self regulate the space and make sure books never spill onto the active driving roads.
4. Launch the Weekly Kolkata Street Book Festival: Turn College Street into a pedestrian only zone every Sunday evening. The road can become a weekly carnival of literature with street side discussions, poetry readings, and music. This will bring in new crowds and directly boost the income of our second hand book sellers.
Please do not erase our history in the name of modern city planning. Save our second hand book sellers. Save Boi Para.
Sign this petition to protect the soul of Kolkata!
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 4 June 2026