Staff Reporter :
About 65 per cent of the capital’s total walkways is illegally occupied by street hawkers creating a severe civic problem for the passersby, whereas the City Corporations, Dhaka North and Dhaka South, have failed to deal with the issue till the date.
Actually, the city footpaths are now used as the alternative markets for all sorts of goods from fabric to electronics, computer software to automobile hardware are available here in the pavement.
Centering the lucrative business, some powerful syndicates are now running Tk 50 crore illegal business allegedly getting support from a Section of Ruling Party leaders belonging to its different associate bodies and also local police stations. The ‘selected men’ of the syndicates collect tolls from the footpath makeshift shops in the name of ‘protection’.
Sources at the two City Corporations told The New Nation those street hawkers, vendors and permanent shops have occupied around 108 kilometres of the total 163 kilometres of walkways in various ways.
While visiting different parts of the city on Monday, this correspondent witnessed that most of the portions of footpaths, especially adjacent to important busy roads, have gone under the grip of illegal occupiers.
There are also widespread allegations that a section of unscrupulous officials of the two City Corporations provide support to the illicit trade in exchange of lucrative monthly payment. At the same time police also get a fat share from the footpath business for not paying attention to the unlawful activities.
A recent study conducted by Work for Better Bangladesh Trust (WBBT) revealed that only 18 per cent of the capital’s existing footpaths are suitable for walking while the rest remains unusable due to car parkings, hawkers, vendors and waste.
It is further alleged that some influential political leaders have grabbed many footpaths and it is not possible to take action against them without permission from higher authorities. The money extorted from the illegal footpath occupants goes to the pockets of the higher authorities also.
The City Corporation officials from time
to time conduct eviction drives, but the hawkers backed up by police and local political leaders usually return to the previous places and rebuild their structures.
MA Kashem, President of Bangladesh Hawker’s Federation told this correspondent, some 2.5 lakh hawkers in the capital are paying daily tolls to politically-backed extortionists to run their business on the streets.
“Each of the hawkers trading at the city’s centre points, such as Farmgate, has been paying Tk 100 as extortion daily,” he said.
“Considering that street vendors pay around Tk 50 crore as toll per month to these politically-backed extortionists, he said. Not just the political leaders, even some members of local police stations are also involved with the rackets,” said Kashem.
Arif Hossain, a hawker leader of Motijheel area told this correspondent, “Several bodies of hawkers had repeatedly asked the government to introduce a legal payment system so that they do not have to pay toll to the extortionists. The government is losing corers of taka as revenue due to a lack of enforcement of rules and regulations.”
Illegal makeshift shops have sprung up at Baitul Mokarram, Purana Paltan, Gulistan, Jatrabari, Saidabad, Mouchak, Shantinagar, Motijheel, New Market, Nilkhet, Nawabpur, Karwanbazar, Gulshan-1&2, Badda, Natun Bazar, Uttara and some other areas of the City Corporations.
The illegal occupants are also seen in the footpaths of Mirpur- 1 to Mirpur- 14. The shop owners also have occupied both sides of Pallabi to Kalshi, Science Laboratory crossing to Nilkhet and Gawsia (inner side) to Elephant Road. The condition of footpath from Malibagh to Rampura road is also the same.
On the other hand, there are about 350 footpath stalls in the Motijheel area where the street vendors have occupied not only the footpaths, but also the busy roads from in front of Bangladesh Bank to Water Development Board Office, Sonali Bank to Fakirapool, Baitul Mokarram to Paltan Crossing to BMA Bhaban.
According to some of the footpath owners, they cumulatively pay around Tk 15 lakh every month.
DSCC Chief Executive Officer Khan Mohammed Bilal told The New Nation on Sunday “We often clear the footpaths by conducting raids, but the occupiers come back every time. Police only can take action against such activities.”
“But it’s not only duty of police to free the footpaths from illegal occupants. The City Corporations are mainly responsible for this. We will help them if they want our cooperation,” said Maruf Hossain Sardar, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday.
Similarly, DNCC Chief Executive Officer Md Mesbahul Islam said, “We will investigate the matter and take steps against such illegal occupiers.”
About 65 per cent of the capital’s total walkways is illegally occupied by street hawkers creating a severe civic problem for the passersby, whereas the City Corporations, Dhaka North and Dhaka South, have failed to deal with the issue till the date.
Actually, the city footpaths are now used as the alternative markets for all sorts of goods from fabric to electronics, computer software to automobile hardware are available here in the pavement.
Centering the lucrative business, some powerful syndicates are now running Tk 50 crore illegal business allegedly getting support from a Section of Ruling Party leaders belonging to its different associate bodies and also local police stations. The ‘selected men’ of the syndicates collect tolls from the footpath makeshift shops in the name of ‘protection’.
Sources at the two City Corporations told The New Nation those street hawkers, vendors and permanent shops have occupied around 108 kilometres of the total 163 kilometres of walkways in various ways.
While visiting different parts of the city on Monday, this correspondent witnessed that most of the portions of footpaths, especially adjacent to important busy roads, have gone under the grip of illegal occupiers.
There are also widespread allegations that a section of unscrupulous officials of the two City Corporations provide support to the illicit trade in exchange of lucrative monthly payment. At the same time police also get a fat share from the footpath business for not paying attention to the unlawful activities.
A recent study conducted by Work for Better Bangladesh Trust (WBBT) revealed that only 18 per cent of the capital’s existing footpaths are suitable for walking while the rest remains unusable due to car parkings, hawkers, vendors and waste.
It is further alleged that some influential political leaders have grabbed many footpaths and it is not possible to take action against them without permission from higher authorities. The money extorted from the illegal footpath occupants goes to the pockets of the higher authorities also.
The City Corporation officials from time
to time conduct eviction drives, but the hawkers backed up by police and local political leaders usually return to the previous places and rebuild their structures.
MA Kashem, President of Bangladesh Hawker’s Federation told this correspondent, some 2.5 lakh hawkers in the capital are paying daily tolls to politically-backed extortionists to run their business on the streets.
“Each of the hawkers trading at the city’s centre points, such as Farmgate, has been paying Tk 100 as extortion daily,” he said.
“Considering that street vendors pay around Tk 50 crore as toll per month to these politically-backed extortionists, he said. Not just the political leaders, even some members of local police stations are also involved with the rackets,” said Kashem.
Arif Hossain, a hawker leader of Motijheel area told this correspondent, “Several bodies of hawkers had repeatedly asked the government to introduce a legal payment system so that they do not have to pay toll to the extortionists. The government is losing corers of taka as revenue due to a lack of enforcement of rules and regulations.”
Illegal makeshift shops have sprung up at Baitul Mokarram, Purana Paltan, Gulistan, Jatrabari, Saidabad, Mouchak, Shantinagar, Motijheel, New Market, Nilkhet, Nawabpur, Karwanbazar, Gulshan-1&2, Badda, Natun Bazar, Uttara and some other areas of the City Corporations.
The illegal occupants are also seen in the footpaths of Mirpur- 1 to Mirpur- 14. The shop owners also have occupied both sides of Pallabi to Kalshi, Science Laboratory crossing to Nilkhet and Gawsia (inner side) to Elephant Road. The condition of footpath from Malibagh to Rampura road is also the same.
On the other hand, there are about 350 footpath stalls in the Motijheel area where the street vendors have occupied not only the footpaths, but also the busy roads from in front of Bangladesh Bank to Water Development Board Office, Sonali Bank to Fakirapool, Baitul Mokarram to Paltan Crossing to BMA Bhaban.
According to some of the footpath owners, they cumulatively pay around Tk 15 lakh every month.
DSCC Chief Executive Officer Khan Mohammed Bilal told The New Nation on Sunday “We often clear the footpaths by conducting raids, but the occupiers come back every time. Police only can take action against such activities.”
“But it’s not only duty of police to free the footpaths from illegal occupants. The City Corporations are mainly responsible for this. We will help them if they want our cooperation,” said Maruf Hossain Sardar, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Sunday.
Similarly, DNCC Chief Executive Officer Md Mesbahul Islam said, “We will investigate the matter and take steps against such illegal occupiers.”
