The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Traffic Division and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) conducted an operation against hawkers' "concealed" rickshaw vans at Shaheed Matiur Park in the capital's Gulistan area on Tuesday afternoon, seizing around 500 such vehicles during the drive.
The operation was carried out targeting vehicles occupying the roads in Gulistan. DMP's Traffic and Crime divisions, the City Corporation, and the Army provided assistance.
Regarding the eviction drive, Khondkar Nazmul Hasan, additional commissioner (traffic) of the DMP, said: "We conduct four operations a day in Gulistan, but we never find any vehicles during the operations. Later, we received information that during the raids, the hawkers bring their vehicles to Shaheed Matiur Park in Gulistan. Once the operation team leaves, they return to the streets. Today, with the cooperation of the city corporation, we conducted an operation at the parking spot itself."
Nazmul further mentioned: "The hawkers leave within moments during the operation. We do not know whether they pay money to keep their vehicles in the park or do so through leaseholders. The city corporation has leased out the park, so it is not within the police's purview to say whether parking the vehicles there is legal or illegal. However, we have seen the tickets they pay for parking."
When asked about action against unfit vehicles, he said: "An operation is ongoing against unfit, rundown, and illegal vehicles. From October 21 to November 4, the DMP Traffic Division took action against 24,500 vehicles during 'Traffic Fortnight.' These included illegally parked vehicles, unfit vehicles, and those without route permits."
When asked when the cat-and-mouse game between the authorities and hawkers would end, given the alleged collusion between some officials and the hawkers, this DMP official said: "We are conducting regular operations. Today, in a special operation, the vehicles used to occupy the roads were seized and confiscated by the city corporation. Around 500 vehicles were seized today."
