The government is planning to evict hawkers from footpaths in the busy and crowded areas of the capital to ease traffic congestion.
‘The drive to free the footpaths of makeshift shops and other types of illegal occupation would begin from November in the capital. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has been instructed to make preparations to clear the footpaths,’ communications minister Syed Abdul Hossain said at a seminar organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the city on Saturday.
Speaking as chief guest in the programme, he said the government was working hard to rid the city of traffic congestions which were seriously affecting public life and businesses.
He said pavements in many areas, including Farmgate and Shahbagh, had been occupied by hawkers forcing pedestrians to use the road which had worsened the situation.
In reply to reporters’ queries, the minister said moves were under way to clear the footpaths of hawkers and illegal occupation so that people could use them.
The DCCI organised the seminar on ‘national communications infrastructure: role of private sector’.
In his address of welcome, the DCCI president Abul Kasem Khan called upon the government work out short, medium and long term strategic plans to ease traffic congestions in the city. ‘By 2020 we could expect a fourfold increase in traffic with an extra 6,000 trucks plying between Dhaka and Chittagong per day and an increase in traffic on this scale would require major new infrastructures,’ he said.
The minister said that the present government was stressing importance of public-private partnership in developing major infrastructures and called upon the business community to make the best use of this opportunity.
In response to a query on the government’s plan to ensure hassle-free bus journey in the capital, Abul Hossain said more than 1,000 buses would hit the city roads in phases soon. The buses were being imported from China, Korea and India, he added.
He urged businessmen to reduce dependence on use of cars that largely contributes to the traffic jam.
The minister said a number of projects, including construction of an elevated expressway, have been take up to rid the city of traffic jam.’
He said overpasses or underpasses at every busy point were being constructed to reduce the tailbacks.
The minister called upon the business leaders to join hands with the government if they were interested in building any overpasses or underpasses in Dhaka. ‘I will ensure approval from the government if you come up with any such proposals,’ he told the business leaders.
Earlier the authorities initiated several moves, including changes in office and school timings and introduction of lane systems for different modes of transports to ease traffic congestions with no improvement in the situation.
The military-backed interim government in 2007 evicted all hawkers from footpaths and introduced holiday markets in many areas to rehabilitate the vendors. But almost all footpaths have again been occupied by the hawkers and influential quarters allegedly in collusion with a section of officials of law enforcement agencies and Dhaka City Corporation.
