Staff Reporter :
A section of leaders and cadres of political parties extort around Tk 300 crore per month from the hawkers who run makeshift shops on the foot paths of major city streets.
This was disclosed at a view-exchange meeting titled — Safe and Easy Walking: Our Duty — jointly organized by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Paribesh Bachao Andolon and Work for a Better Bangladesh [WBB] on Sunday.
Maruf Rahman, National Advocacy Officer of the WBB, presented the keynote paper in the discussion.
“This illegal extortion can be stopped if both the city corporations provide identity cards for the footpath hawkers or make a system of registering their names. The money will then go to the City Corporation as tax money for benefiting the civilians,” Maruf Rahman said.
He also suggested the high officials of both city corporations to make the footpaths free from illegal trading so that the pedestrians can walk in comfort.
The speakers also referred the streets of developed countries and commented, “The zebra crossings under the jurisprudence of City Corporations become faded only within 2 to 3 months. There should be an allocation so that maintenance could be run with using better quality paint.”
Chief Executive of DSCC, Md. Ansar Ali Khan, said that the foot paths are being used other than movement of pedestrians. “We are trying to keep the footpaths free from illegal trading,” he said. “The manholes have no coverings. Dustbins are being regularly stolen…. We have limitations and we need assistance from the citizens to ensure the civic rights,” the DSCC chief further said.
Among others, Chief Engineer Habibur Rahman (DSCR), Chief Health Officer Brigadier General Dr. Mahbubur RahmanChief Officer of Wastage Disposal Management, Captain Rakibuddin, General Manager of Transports Khondokar Millatul Islam were present at the discussion.
