Footpaths reoccupied despite citywide DMP crackdown

Just 10 days after a massive drive by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to reclaim encroached footpaths and roads, many areas across the capital have again been occupied by hawkers.

At least 44 people were arrested, and around Tk 10 lakh was realised in fines during the drive from April 1 to April 5. The operation covered areas under DMP’s Lalbagh, Wari, Ramna, Mirpur, Motijheel, Tejgaon, Gulshan and Uttara traffic divisions.

Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Anisur Rahman told The Daily Star on the final day of the drive that follow-up operations would continue to prevent reoccupation.

“We will keep monitoring so that encroachers cannot return,” he said.

However, visits to Gulistan, Mirpur, Tejgaon and Mohammadpur found that hawkers have already resumed operations, reoccupying footpaths and roads.

Both sides of the road and adjacent footpaths in Gulistan, from Gulistan Hall to Golapshah Majhar Road, have once again fallen under the control of hawkers. Many hawkers have set up makeshift stalls using cloth and plastic so they can quickly move during drives, while others operate more permanently.

“We are running our businesses at risk, as there is no alternative. We pay Tk 100 as toll to linemen, though business has become uncertain,” said a hawker, requesting anonymity.

Similar scenes were observed in other areas.

In the first week of April, police cleared hawkers from key locations in Mohammadpur, including Town Hall, BRTC bus stand, Allah Karim Market and Basila Road, evicting around 500 shops. Although many returned within days, police carried out additional drives.

During a visit on Thursday, vendors were again seen occupying the left lane from Mohammadpur Bus Stand to Basila Tin Rasta, with goods spilling onto footpaths and restricting pedestrian movement.

In Mirpur, hawkers were removed from roads, though some return in the evenings before being removed again. Many are now operating from mobile vans along footpaths.

Hawkers say they depend on the trade for their livelihoods and fear that eviction without rehabilitation will leave them without income.

Near Mirpur-10 roundabout and Hope International School, many hawkers still occupy footpaths.

Abdul Karim, who has been selling goods from a van near the school for five years, said he often flees into nearby alleys when police arrive and returns later, adding that repeated disruptions have reduced his income.

Arif Chowdhury, president of the Hawkers Federation, said drives are ongoing in areas such as Motijheel and Gulistan and warned that eviction without rehabilitation raises concerns about how such a large number of people will survive.

Meanwhile, on Monday, DMP asked individuals and organisations to remove construction materials and goods from roads and footpaths, saying these contribute to congestion and disrupt pedestrian movement.

Police warned that such acts are punishable by law, adding that special drives will be conducted by executive magistrates and the traffic division.

NM Nasiruddin, deputy commissioner (media) of DMP, said drives against illegal occupation of roads and footpaths will continue.

WHAT CITY CORPORATIONS SAY

Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam said unregulated roadside business causing public suffering will not be allowed, but authorities do not want to act inhumanely toward hawkers and rickshaw pullers.

He said a licence will be required to run temporary businesses on sidewalks.

While inaugurating eviction and beautification work near Dhaka Medical College Hospital, he said authorities are preparing a location-based list of hawkers. A specific number of hawkers will be allowed to operate in designated areas at fixed times.

He also said there are plans to introduce “Holiday Markets” and “Night Markets”. “We aim not to evict but to rehabilitate.”

Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Shafiqul Islam said business activities will no longer be allowed on footpaths or roads, though alternative arrangements will be made for small traders. A token system will also be introduced to prevent extortion.

Meanwhile, DSCC has issued a public notice banning the placement of goods on footpaths in front of markets, warning of strict legal action, including cancellation of trade licences.

PROPER PLANNING, REHABILITATION DEMANDED

Prof Adil Mohammed Khan, executive director of Institute for Planning and Development, said eviction drives will not be sustainable without a comprehensive plan, including clear policies and laws for hawker management.

While recent drives have brought temporary relief, he stressed the need for alternative employment and poverty reduction measures, along with action against syndicates controlling footpath businesses and extortion networks.

Without addressing these root causes, such drives are unlikely to succeed in the long term, he said.

He urged the government to adopt a comprehensive approach, ensuring rehabilitation, alternative employment, and social protection for the urban poor.

He also noted that Dhaka still lacks an effective legal framework for hawker management, allowing syndicates to operate behind the scenes.

Those facilitating illegal hawking, including linemen, influential groups and others benefiting from extortion, must be brought under the law, he added.