We must say it is a bold step by the DSCC Mayor who seems to be determined to keep the city footpaths clear during busy hours of the day. He said he allows vendors in the evening to suggest he is equally concern about the livelihood of small traders. But city center can’t be converted to open market place either. That the Mayor has clearly said and his latest action shows he means it.
The DSCC has rightly identified that hawkers are running the illegal business on city footpaths with active help of those people who are using them as captive to keep footpath occupied with their shops and make money for their own fortune. They are basically ‘linemen’ to collect money for the powerful people including police, goons and political leaders.
The DSCC’s state department filed the cases with Paltan, Motijheel and Shahbagh Police Stations but none of the accused was arrested so far. Forty-nine were sued at Paltan Police Station accusing them for extorting money from hawkers. Moreover 25 were sued at Motijheel and seven at Shahbagh Police Stations.
DSCC said linemen collect the extortion money from the hawkers on behalf of the powerful quarter. As the eviction drive is in progress, city official said they are instigating hawkers to protest the eviction. The accused have been named taking into consideration some lists of the offenders prepared by several hawkers’ organizations and media investigative reports published in different newspapers.
Jatiya Hawkers’ Federation officials reportedly said they were demanding action for long against those linemen who collects Tk 50 to Tk 300 every day from a hawker for “police officials, local goons and political leaders.”
Despite repeated attempts, the authorities failed to evict hawkers from the city’s footpaths, as they return to their place paying “extortion money.” Reports said there are around 3.5 lakh shops on the city’s footpaths, and the hawkers pay over Tk 3 crore as “extortion money” a day. Since January 15, the DSCC has been conducting drives in Gulistan and its adjacent areas, including Purana Paltan, Dainik Bangla Mor and Motijheel areas, to keep footpaths free from hawkers but vested quarters are instigating hawkers to back to the spot to make the drive ineffective.
We must say the Mayor’s action must bear fruit and whoever be the person behind instigating hawkers must keep their hands crossed.
