Rajshahi City Corporation authorities on Tuesday issued notice to the hawkers, who carried on businesses by building makeshifts on footpath from Saheb Bazar Zero Point to Ganakpara More in the city, to remove their shops to another place.
The city corporation authorities have leased a portion of the footpath recently to a businessman for building a parking zone.
The city corporation authorities said they issued the notice to the hawkers as they refused to leave the footpath and declined to remove their shops.
Hawkers complained that the city corporation authorities have granted lease to a ruling party man through unfair means and demanded they should be rehabilitated at another place in the city before eviction.
The hawkers on Tuesday called on the Rajshahi mayor, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, and placed their demands, including withdrawal of the notice, the hawkers’ leaders said.
The mayor refused their demands and ordered them to leave the place at once and not meet the journalists in this regard, the hawkers said.
Salim Uddin, a leader of hawkers’ association, told New Age that these makeshifts were the only sources of their livelihood.
Hawkers’ leaders on Tuesday said they would go for movement if RCC did not cancel the order immediately.
Tension grew on Monday night as the lease holder Mosaddek Hossain Jony, also an activist of Awami League, after going to the spot demanded Tk 55 for each day from each of the hawkers or quit the place.
He informed the hawkers that he had taken the place as a lease from RCC with Tk 2,000 per month as a charge.
Most of the hawkers refused to pay him as they hardly earn Tk 150 daily and it would be very difficult to pay the amount, the hawkers said.
Rajshahi right activists said the initiative would cause serious traffic congestion on the city’s busiest road.
Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Parishad convener Jamat Khan, expressing his deep concern in this regard, considered it as an unpleasant initiative by the RCC.
He also said they would meet the mayor and ask him to reconsider the initiative.
Rajshahi panel mayor Sharidul Islam Babu said they just leased the footpath to set up a parking zone for security of motorised vehicles.
