Most of the mango shops on footpaths in the capital are illegal as the Dhaka South and North City Corporation gave permission to only to five out of more than a hundred shops.
Officials of both the city corporations have alleged that most of these shops on footpaths belong to the ruling party leaders and these shops are hindering pedestrians’ movement.
These mango bazaars have been set up at Moghbazar, Dhanmondi, Rampura, Motijheel, New Market, old town, Mohakhali, Badda, Khilgaon and different parts of Uttara.
Tina Habib, a student of Dhaka City College, said in summer shops selling mango occupy the city footpath in the Dhanmondi area.
‘The footpaths are for pedestrians but the authorities lack initiative to make city footpaths free from encroachment,’ she said.
Ahsan Miraz, a corporate official of Rampura, said there was none to monitor such illegal activities in the capital.
In summer it is mango fairs in the name of “chemical-free mango fair” and in the month of Ramadan it is iftar bazaars that occupy the city footpaths.
‘The footpaths should be free from all types of illegal activities and the authorities concerned should take stern measures against the occupants,’ he said.
According to a recent survey by Save the Environment Movement, formalin is used in 93.75 per cent mangoes selling in the capital.
Dhaka South City Corporation chief estate officer Jamal Hossain told New Age that they did not give any permission to anyone this year for mango sale.
He said they were trying to make footpaths safe and pedestrian-friendly, so no one right to hinder pedestrians’ movement.
However, a DSCC law section officer, seeking anonymity, said this year the DSCC gave permission to a man to sell mango at Dhanmondi near Star Kabab as a ruling party leader recommended for him.
Dhaka North City Corporation chief estate officer Md Fosiullah said they had given permission for
setting up mango bazaars to four applicants — one each at Kakoli and Gulshan and two at Uttara of the capital.
All these legal mango shops were around 5-12 feet and not on the city footpath, he said.
Fosiullah said the other mango bazaars were illegal.
He added that city corporations, Dhaka district commissioners’ office, Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution and Rapid Action Battalion conducted drive in these mango bazaars.
-With New Age input
