Hawkers at the Gulistan area in the capital were unwilling to leave as the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) carried out a drive to evict hawkers and free footpaths for pedestrians on Sunday.
The drive, led by Executive Magistrate Muniruzzanan, started at 11am and continued till 3pm from the capital’s Gulistan Zero Point to Baitul Mukarram National Masjid area.
During the drive, DSCC authorities banned hawkers from Gulistan's Noor Hossain Chattar to the level crossing of Hanif Flyover.
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneHowever, within a few hours of the eviction operation, the hawkers again sat with their shops.
They claimed that they had received permission to set up shops on the footpath by paying a fee of Tk150-Tk200 per day to the police and lineman. However, several police officials denied this.
Hawkers expressed their distress over not being able to pay house rents or children’s education.
A hawker sitting in front of Gulistan Sports Market said: “Every day, we have to pay Tk200. Business is not running well so we have nothing else to do but sit even if the authorities try to evict us.”
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneEarlier in the morning, DSCC authorities evicted hawkers from its newly red-marked roads.
“Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover to Gulistan Zero Point has been marked as red zone. Streets and sidewalks of this area will be hawker free,” said Executive Magistrate Muniruzzanan.
Other officials said after the launch of Padma Bridge, traffic had increased on that road. Hence the eviction will benefit pedestrians and city dwellers.
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka TribuneOn Wednesday, DSCC said it will mark its roads with the colours red, yellow and green depending on their importance.
DSCC also announced that hawkers will not be allowed to sit on the important roads, which are marked red.
“We will no longer allow hawkers to sit on the red-marked roads. We will start the drive to remove hawkers from these critical areas,” Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said.
