The recent drive by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) to clear hawkers from the key stretch between Paltan and Gulistan once again highlights our all-too-familiar urban dilemma.
While reclaiming footpaths for pedestrian comfort and relieving bottleneck traffic are necessary goals that must not be ignored, the high-handed eviction drives we have been seeing this year can never be a permanent solution. History tells us that once law enforcement officers depart, vendors and hawkers inevitably return.
What must also be recognized is that these individuals are not criminal trespassers but are working citizens that are striving to earn an honest living in an informal economy that supports millions of families.
Driving hawkers away without viable, long-term alternatives therefore fails to address the root issue.
Whether we like it or not, informal street vending has long been a vital pillar of urban livelihoods and provides a service to millions of city dwellers. Having clearances don’t do much to solve urban congestion but instead create a game of cat-and-mouse that ultimately wastes civic administrative resources and destabilizes vulnerable households.
To break this endless cycle, we must move from blanket crackdowns toward structured integration.
The DSCC's proposal to register hawkers and assign designated zones is a step in the right direction, but it must be expanded into a comprehensive, transparent framework.
Having a limited number of hawkers registered is no solution for every other person who depends on the streets to earn a livelihood. At a time when the economic challenges for Bangladesh are greater than ever, there must be a better solution than simply removing vendors from the streets.
Dhaka belongs to all its residents -- pedestrians, commuters, and street vendors alike. We expect the city corporation to balance the public right to accessible footpaths with the human right to a livelihood.
Order on the streets must be a goal, but without jeopardizing the survival of the working class.
