Once a secluded upscale residential zone on the outskirts of Dhaka, Gulshan is now known as one of the fastest-growing busiest business hubs of the capital city. The old and small houses are now being replaced by high-rise apartments, with dozens of tall buildings made of glass and light adorning Gulshan Avenue and the two main circles.
Over time, the Gulshan Model Town of 1961 (Gulshan means garden in English) has become a centre of many opportunities as many key installations have been established in the nearby areas like Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Baridhara, Bashundhara, and Nikunja.
Gulshan has seen startling shopping malls, superstores, hotels and restaurants, banks, English-medium schools, universities, clubs, parlours, and gyms sprawling so fast that many house owners are changing the building category to commercial.
On the other hand, the authorities also prioritize providing modern facilities and adequate security in the area, which is frequented by diplomats and other foreigners.
After Gulshan Municipality was merged with Dhaka Municipality in 1982, it saw a spree of development, prompting the government to officially allow commercial establishments in some parts of Gulshan in 2004. Hence, the number of commercial buildings and shops and the prices of land and flats started to skyrocket.
After 19 years, Gulshan has eventually become one of the busiest commercial hubs of the megacity. On the other side of the glittering beauty, Gulshan has many problems to address, including narrow roads, streets and footpaths occupied by hawkers and small shops, unmanaged drains, dirty lakes, and no fire station. The Gulshan Society as well as environmental activists have long been demanding that the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) end these menaces.
Most of the footpaths and public places in Gulshan are occupied by hawkers and tea or food shopkeepers, which are creating obstacles to the movement of pedestrians and vehicles, spoiling the environment. Residents allege that these spots provide scope for the rise of hooliganism and petty criminals, among other menaces.
The DNCC authorities conduct eviction drives at regular intervals, but after failing to free the footpaths, they have sought cooperation from the administration, political parties, and the Gulshan Society to solve this long-standing problem.
People of the lower- and lower-middle-income groups who work in Gulshan offices, markets, and households usually live in rented houses, messes, and slums nearby and rely on roadside stalls for food and other items. The number of these people is not too low compared to the number of permanent residents of Gulshan.
Gulshan 1 and 2 fall under the DNCC’s Ward 19 of Region 3. There are footpaths with a length of about 84.5km and narrow roads of 59.11km.
Abysmal situation on the ground
This reporter visited various roads in Gulshan and found most of the pavements occupied by small shops and temporary shopkeepers, as well as by some traders who keep their products or promotional items outside the shop for display or occupy part of a road for car parking. Temporary food shops are mostly seen along the roads in the Gulshan Lake View and DNCC Market areas of Gulshan-1.
In front of the DNCC Market, a man was found selling flower bouquets all over the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to move on the road as the footpath was closed.
When encountered, the seller defended his occupancy of the footpath, saying he does pay for the space. He, however, refused to disclose who collects the money.
The same is the case with the footpath in front of the Gulshan Shopping Centre. Some are selling pants and T-shirts, while others are selling snacks. Cloth trader Alauddin Mia said: "I'm not new here; I've been doing business for about 10 years. When the authorities evict us, we leave this place, but we can resume business later on. There are other problems too, but since I don’t have capital, this footpath is my hope."
Ruhul, a watch trader, said: "Not all buyers in Gulshan are millionaires. There are poor people like us. We do business on the sidewalk and meet their needs."
The footpaths of almost every road at the Gulshan-1 intersection are occupied by hawkers.
Naushin, a student of Brac University who was passing by, said: "I travel through this route every day. There is not a day that I don't have to face traffic jams. I don't even have a chance to walk on the footpaths.
"If this situation happens at the beginning of such an elite area, then what is the condition of the other areas?
After crossing Robi Tower in Gulshan-1, anyone can find the canopied shops on the street next to the main road. A pile of garbage frozen in the mouth of the drain can be seen beside street food shops. Customers flock for breakfast or lunch, snacks, and tea in this unhealthy environment.
Mobile hawkers selling a variety of items, including cigarettes and peanuts, also gather in such crowded places and on footpaths to draw customers.
Akbar, who works as a receptionist at a reputed private company in Gulshan, said: "I often take lunch here. Sometimes I bring food from home, but it is not always possible. Moreover, we cannot afford to buy food from restaurants and hotels here. So we walk a little distance and eat here."
Pink City is one of the famous shopping malls in Gulshan with wide footpaths. But in recent years, makeshift food stalls have occupied the footpaths, and the number is growing.
Apart from this, information on people setting up gambling events regularly on Road 23 in Gulshan was also found during the visit.
Not only the hawkers but also big hotels and brand shops are occupying the pavement in the name of car parking and running business day after day.
In Gulshan-2, the footpaths along the main road were found somewhat empty, but many people occupied the footpaths in the alleys by setting up stalls. The DNCC conducted eviction operations several times, but they set up shop again within hours.
Permanent residents displeased
Meanwhile, the residents of this elite area are also irked by the status of the footpaths, which are key parts of a model town.
Tamjid Hossain from Gulshan-2 said: "Such a scene is never desirable in an area like Gulshan. Most of the sidewalks are occupied…anyone is opening a shop on the roadside."
He also expressed his concerns, saying: "There is no identity as to who they are and where they are coming from. Any kind of accident can happen. Now it seems that until any accident happens, the administration will not speak."
President of the Gulshan Society and former chief election commissioner, Shamsul Huda, said that it is true that Gulshan is an elite area, but everyone here is not the same. These low-income people earn their livelihood by occupying the footpaths.
He added: "There is no permanent solution to this. It will continue until the economic condition of the country changes. Moreover, low-income people are the target of the upcoming elections. So, evicting them from the footpaths and streets is not possible anymore."
DNCC Region-3 Executive Officer Zulkar Nain said they always evict illegal occupants from the footpaths upon receiving complaints. But the next day, the footpaths were occupied again.
"It is not possible to keep the footpaths free of encroachment by conducting eviction drives alone. This will require the cooperation of the police administration, political leaders, and the Gulshan Society."
Explaining the role of the stakeholders, he said: "We cannot carry out drives every day. If police cars patrol regularly, this problem will be solved. Also, if the political leaders and the Gulshan Society members cooperate, it will be easy for us to keep the footpath free of encroachment. We made this happen in Banani."
DNCC Chief Executive Officer Salim Reza said that he has directed the officials concerned to make sure that there is not a single shop on the footpaths. He also sought the assistance of the police administration, the Gulshan Society, and political leaders to this end.
