M M Jasim :
The footpaths near Curzon Hall area on the Dhaka University campus are still untouched though the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has been struggling to clean the city’s footpaths from illegal occupation.
The footpaths in front of the main gates of Curzon Hall, Bangladesh Shishu Academy and the International Crime Tribunals are fully occupied by the makeshift shop owners allegedly being patronized by influential persons.
Even the shop owners using the ruling power have occupied a portion of roads hampering the easy movement of the pedestrians.
The students of Dhaka University, officials and employees of Bangladesh Shishu Academy and staff of the International Crimes Tribunal alleged that the makeshift shop owners have been occupying the footpaths every day. Neither the DSCC authorities nor the Dhaka University administration have any headache in this regard.
“Shaheed Minar to Supreme Court road is a very busy road. Thousands of university students move through this road every day. The illegal shops on the footpaths hamper their movement as well as the pedestrians. Sometimes it is very difficult to walk as the vehicles dominate all space of road and footpaths are occupied by the illegal occupation. No space remains for walking,” Riaz Uddin Khan, a third year student of Dhaka University, told The New Nation on Sunday.
Fariha Afrin, a second year student of the university, said, “Pottery outlets and nurseries have occupied both the roadsides of the university campus beside the Curzon Hall disturbing the students’ movement. The traffic jam is a regular phenomenon on the road due to the shops. It also looks very odd.”
“It is strange that there are many pottery shops and nurseries on the roads of the varsity campus. Why business will run on the campus. Is it university or business hub? She asked.
Visiting the Curzon Hall area of the Dhaka University this correspondent found that there are at least 45 pottery shops and 30 nurseries on the both sides of the roads. Even some tea stalls are also there. Bangladesh Shishu Academy and the International Crimes Tribunal are also situated near the Curzon Hall. Hundreds of children and their guardians come to the Bangladesh Shishu Academy every day. They are facing severe trouble due to those shops. Sometimes they have to wait for long to enter the academy as traffic jam creates due to car parking of the buyers as well as occupation road by the shop owners.
The security of the International Crimes Tribunal is also under threat as many vagabond people move around the shops.
Asking about such situation Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique told this correspondent that the footpaths are controlled by the Dhaka South City Corporation. It looks not good that the shops will remain on the university campus. It is very unfortunate.
“The university administration sometime conduct drives to remove floating people from the footpaths. We several times have asked the city corporation authorities to remove such illegal establishments from the university campus. But they are yet to take any action against the illegal occupation,” the VC said.
Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon told The New Nation on Sunday that the corporation has no plan to free the footpaths from the illegal occupation on the university area.
He said the pottery outlets carry the country’s tradition. So we should protect it.
When asked about the suffering of the students and pedestrians the DSCC mayor said that he would take initiative to minimize the sufferings of the people.
The footpaths near Curzon Hall area on the Dhaka University campus are still untouched though the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has been struggling to clean the city’s footpaths from illegal occupation.
The footpaths in front of the main gates of Curzon Hall, Bangladesh Shishu Academy and the International Crime Tribunals are fully occupied by the makeshift shop owners allegedly being patronized by influential persons.
Even the shop owners using the ruling power have occupied a portion of roads hampering the easy movement of the pedestrians.
The students of Dhaka University, officials and employees of Bangladesh Shishu Academy and staff of the International Crimes Tribunal alleged that the makeshift shop owners have been occupying the footpaths every day. Neither the DSCC authorities nor the Dhaka University administration have any headache in this regard.
“Shaheed Minar to Supreme Court road is a very busy road. Thousands of university students move through this road every day. The illegal shops on the footpaths hamper their movement as well as the pedestrians. Sometimes it is very difficult to walk as the vehicles dominate all space of road and footpaths are occupied by the illegal occupation. No space remains for walking,” Riaz Uddin Khan, a third year student of Dhaka University, told The New Nation on Sunday.
Fariha Afrin, a second year student of the university, said, “Pottery outlets and nurseries have occupied both the roadsides of the university campus beside the Curzon Hall disturbing the students’ movement. The traffic jam is a regular phenomenon on the road due to the shops. It also looks very odd.”
“It is strange that there are many pottery shops and nurseries on the roads of the varsity campus. Why business will run on the campus. Is it university or business hub? She asked.
Visiting the Curzon Hall area of the Dhaka University this correspondent found that there are at least 45 pottery shops and 30 nurseries on the both sides of the roads. Even some tea stalls are also there. Bangladesh Shishu Academy and the International Crimes Tribunal are also situated near the Curzon Hall. Hundreds of children and their guardians come to the Bangladesh Shishu Academy every day. They are facing severe trouble due to those shops. Sometimes they have to wait for long to enter the academy as traffic jam creates due to car parking of the buyers as well as occupation road by the shop owners.
The security of the International Crimes Tribunal is also under threat as many vagabond people move around the shops.
Asking about such situation Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique told this correspondent that the footpaths are controlled by the Dhaka South City Corporation. It looks not good that the shops will remain on the university campus. It is very unfortunate.
“The university administration sometime conduct drives to remove floating people from the footpaths. We several times have asked the city corporation authorities to remove such illegal establishments from the university campus. But they are yet to take any action against the illegal occupation,” the VC said.
Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Sayeed Khokon told The New Nation on Sunday that the corporation has no plan to free the footpaths from the illegal occupation on the university area.
He said the pottery outlets carry the country’s tradition. So we should protect it.
When asked about the suffering of the students and pedestrians the DSCC mayor said that he would take initiative to minimize the sufferings of the people.
