Vendors and makeshift stalls have occupied footpaths in many areas of the capital city in the absence of monitoring by the authorities concerned.
Vendors most often set up their shops on the footpaths, hampering pedestrians’ movement and forcing them to walk through roads amid risk of accidents, pedestrians have alleged.
Besides, beggars, floating people and goods of shops occupy the pavements in many areas, causing immense sufferings to the pedestrians.
Moreover, private cars and motorbikes are seen parked on the pavements.
Samina Fatemi, a banker of the Moghbazar area, said like many other problems walking on the footpath has become hazardous as small traders run their business freely on the footpath.
Every day she uses footpath and faces bad experiences but she seen no way out of the problem.
Kamal Ahammad, a corporate official of the Gulishtan area, told New Age that as a city dweller it was his right to walk on the footpath but the authorities concerned have failed to ensure it.
He said walking along footpath with children or elders has become a troublesome job as hawkers and even motor bikers sometimes block the road in such a way that it makes the space narrower for the pedestrians.
When pedestrians find the footpath blocked, they become bound to use the main road for walking, which hinders traffic and cause accidents, Kamal added.
In areas like Gulistan, Paltan, Moghbazar, Shahbagh, Tejgaon, Mohakhali, Rampura, Azampur and Farmgate, the footpaths seem to have gone under the illegal occupation of vendors and shopkeepers.
Hawkers were seen to sell cheap clothes, jewelleries, cosmetics, footwear, fruits, toys and household items.
Shafiq Miah, a vendor in the Gulishtan area, said the government should keep a space for hawkers, otherwise how low income people would earn and survive.
Shafiq admitted that they have to bribe police and local influential people to run their business unhindered.
Police sometimes conduct drives and evict them which he said was unfair.
However, Dhaka North City Corporation officials said that these illegal shops were evicted many times, but they came back once the drive was over.
Dhaka North City Corporation executive magistrate Sheikh Kamal Hossain told New Age that owing to political unrest from February, they could not make time to conduct their routine drives.
newagebd
-With New Age input
