With the entry of multinational corporate houses like Wal-Mart and Spencers into Kolkata's retail market, the hawkers of the city are facing an existential crisis. The conference, "Corporate hijacking of retail sector", made it clear that the city hawkers are all up in arms against the entry of these organisations. "We will protest against the influx of the corporate houses," said Saktiman Ghosh, the general secretary of the Hawker Sangram Committee. They are concerned about three things:

1. Over 88 lakh people engaged in hawking will lose their source of employment. Although it is being promised that employment opportunities will increase once the corporate houses pour in, but they feel that it will actually kill the existing small traders

2. Consumers will have to pay more for the same item. Hawkers feel that initially these retail houses will maintain a lower price level than the hawkers but once the hawkers are eliminated, the price level will be drastically increased

3. Production of farmers will be hampered, believe hawkers. Despite claims that the farmers will be paid correctly for their crops, city hawkers feel that the retail giants will gradually exploit them