Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s directive to swiftly rehabilitate hawkers evicted from Dhaka’s streets is a necessary intervention in a problem that has dragged on for far too long.
Hawkers are not criminals but workers, and a key part of our informal economy. When they are evicted without a plan, the consequences are immediate and severe.
Creating a situation where they struggle to earn, or are forced to operate in unsafe or unsuitable locations, or pushed into debt, is not a solution.
The PM’s words must therefore be treated as a directive to rethink how Dhaka handles its informal workforce. Hawkers need designated, well‑planned vending zones, not ad‑hoc spaces that shift with every police operation.
They need clear rules, not arbitrary enforcement along with basic facilities so that their workplaces are dignified and safe. Most importantly, they need formal recognition so that their rights and responsibilities are defined rather than negotiated on the street.
Cities around the world have shown that hawkers can coexist with traffic flow, pedestrian movement, and urban order, but only when the state plans for it. Dhaka’s current approach, built on periodic eviction drives that lead nowhere, has failed repeatedly. All such an approach has achieved is disrupted livelihoods, fueled tension, and ultimately, hawkers returning to the same spots out of necessity.
Hawkers deserve stability, not uncertainty, with a system that acknowledges their role in the economy rather than treating them as obstacles to be removed.
A proper solution therefore requires coordination to ensure that rehabilitation is practical, not symbolic. The PM has set the expectation. Now the administration must deliver.