Sylhet Bureau :
Most of the footpaths alongside the major thoroughfares, especially in the Bondar Bazar, Zindabazar, Ambarkhana and old Railway Station of Sylhet City, were illegally occupied by hawkers and other despite drives by the authorities concerned.
There are allegations that police in those areas allow hawkers to occupy roads and sidewalks in exchange for bribes.
Occupying the sidewalk, shops are set up permanently. And those who do not find a place on the sidewalks sit on the streets with their wares. There are even fruit baskets, vegetable sacks, etc. placed on the road dividers, and pedestrians have to go down the main road or in the middle of the road facing risk.
Moving around the Sylhet city, this correspondent found that almost all the footpaths alongside the major thoroughfares in the two city corporations remain illegally occupied by hawkers and others.
While moving around the city, Our Correspondent found thousands of illegal makeshift shops have sprung up, especially in Suram Point, Court Point, BodarBazar, Zindabazar, Ambarkhana, Subhanighat, Uposhohor, Mirabazar, Kodamtaly, New Railway Station Area and some other areas of the city corporations, including footpaths, forcing the pedestrians to use the main roads.
A Main part of the Station Road is most important Road of South Surma occupied by various types of vehicles coming from outside all day long.
Such is the scenario throughout the city. Roads, sidewalks, alleys, fields, parks, canals, flyovers, foot over bridges have all been occupied illegally. As a result, vehicles cannot move and pedestrians cannot walk smoothly. Even ambulances are stuck on the roads for hours.
The situation in Court Surma is even more horrible. Most of the streets are occupied by traders. The wholesale business has been going on for years keeping goods on the streets. The traffic jam continues day and night. But there is no one to watch.
According to the victims, sometimes drives are carried out in the city to clear the sidewalks and roads. The operations cost thousands of taka to carry out, but with no result.
Although it is learned that eviction drives are conducted on a regular basis by the Sylhet city corporation officials to retake the footpaths, hawkers who are allegedly backed up by police and local political leaders usually return to the previous places after the drive, and rebuild their structures.
Political leaders and activists and law enforcers extort money from the footpath hawkers in exchange for their help, the sources at the SCC claimed.
According to them, some influential political leaders grabbed many footpaths and it is not possible to take action against them without permission from higher authorities.
Most of the footpaths alongside the major thoroughfares, especially in the Bondar Bazar, Zindabazar, Ambarkhana and old Railway Station of Sylhet City, were illegally occupied by hawkers and other despite drives by the authorities concerned.
There are allegations that police in those areas allow hawkers to occupy roads and sidewalks in exchange for bribes.
Occupying the sidewalk, shops are set up permanently. And those who do not find a place on the sidewalks sit on the streets with their wares. There are even fruit baskets, vegetable sacks, etc. placed on the road dividers, and pedestrians have to go down the main road or in the middle of the road facing risk.
Moving around the Sylhet city, this correspondent found that almost all the footpaths alongside the major thoroughfares in the two city corporations remain illegally occupied by hawkers and others.
While moving around the city, Our Correspondent found thousands of illegal makeshift shops have sprung up, especially in Suram Point, Court Point, BodarBazar, Zindabazar, Ambarkhana, Subhanighat, Uposhohor, Mirabazar, Kodamtaly, New Railway Station Area and some other areas of the city corporations, including footpaths, forcing the pedestrians to use the main roads.
A Main part of the Station Road is most important Road of South Surma occupied by various types of vehicles coming from outside all day long.
Such is the scenario throughout the city. Roads, sidewalks, alleys, fields, parks, canals, flyovers, foot over bridges have all been occupied illegally. As a result, vehicles cannot move and pedestrians cannot walk smoothly. Even ambulances are stuck on the roads for hours.
The situation in Court Surma is even more horrible. Most of the streets are occupied by traders. The wholesale business has been going on for years keeping goods on the streets. The traffic jam continues day and night. But there is no one to watch.
According to the victims, sometimes drives are carried out in the city to clear the sidewalks and roads. The operations cost thousands of taka to carry out, but with no result.
Although it is learned that eviction drives are conducted on a regular basis by the Sylhet city corporation officials to retake the footpaths, hawkers who are allegedly backed up by police and local political leaders usually return to the previous places after the drive, and rebuild their structures.
Political leaders and activists and law enforcers extort money from the footpath hawkers in exchange for their help, the sources at the SCC claimed.
According to them, some influential political leaders grabbed many footpaths and it is not possible to take action against them without permission from higher authorities.
