We are in favour
of keeping the footpaths free from hawkers but in a
sustainable manner
Go for a sustainable policy on keeping footpaths free
Footpaths are made so that pedestrians can walk along those safely and in a hassle-free manner, but almost all the footpaths alongside the major thoroughfares in the two city corporations of Dhaka remain occupied by hawkers and others despite on and off drives by the authorities concerned to evict them from there.
A report on this appeared in this newspaper yesterday. The two city corporationsDhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC)are responsible for maintaining about 163 km of footpaths across the city, of which about 108 km are now under illegal occupation, creating obstacles to free pedestrian movement, according to sources at the DNCC and DSCC.
Thousands of illegal makeshift shops have sprung up, especially in Gulistan, Jatrabari, Saydabad, Mouchak, Shantinagar, Motijheel, New Market, Nilkhet, Nawabpur, Karwanbazar, Gulshan-1 2, Badda, Natun Bazaar, Baridhara J Block, Uttara, Mirpur, Farmgate, and some other areas of the city corporations, specially in the 108 km footpaths.
We are in favour of keeping the footpaths free from illegal occupation for uninterrupted movement of pedestrians. But eviction drives conducted by the city corporation officials at times to recover footpaths spaces is not a sustainable solution. The hawkers who are allegedly backed up by police and local political leaders return to the previous places after the drives and rebuild their structures. It is an open secret that the hawkers have to pay tolls to the law enforcers and political activists in exchange for their help.
There is also the other aspect that over the years the demands for the things that are sold in the footpaths have increased manifold. Buyers belonging to the middle and lower middle income groups throng the footpaths to buy things of their choice at bargain prices as they can hardly afford the posh shopping malls and other places. The producers of footpath goods, sellers and buyers have formed a big economic chain that is thriving day by day. So, sudden eviction of thousands of hawkers overnight from footpaths without making alternative arrangements for their livelihood will not be a prudent move. The authorities will have to handle the issue of the hawkers with care.
There are open spaces lying unutilized in the capital city not far from the footpaths. Those can be used for rehabilitation of the hawkers who are to be pushed out of footpaths. This will facilitate free movement of pedestrians and help reduce traffic jams while also not putting the lives of footpath peddlers and consumers of their products in jeopardy.
