The recent drive taken by the Dhaka North City Corporation to root out the street and footpath encroachers from the capital is a great and welcome initiative. These drives are being conducted within short intervals and as a result of which the streets are being made free for public ease of commuting. Recently over 1500 illegal’s structures have been removed from occupying critical infrastructure which have freed up much of the walking space for people. However, these evictions are not permanent and after every drive people again come back and set up their makeshift businesses.
Experts opine that this cat and mouse game has been going on for a long time without any concrete solution emerging. From Uttara to Gulistan there are countless hawker gatherings where the streets have been occupied by vendors and their goods. This suggests that this issue of encroachment is mainly due to a lack of occupation through which these minimal wage earners can earn a livelihood. Undoubtedly the drive against encroachers is needed but, a permanent solution to this problem must be established. Proper arrangements should be made so that these people can continue with their business without hampering or hindering the daily commuting of passers-by.
Drive against encroachers is needed
but a permanent solution to
this problem must be established
These are some of the questions which must be answered to solve this problem. And the best possible way is to get into talks with the people who are connected with these illegal establishments on street-sides. Unless this is done the problem will never be solved. As the footpaths and streets do not require any official procedure or policy to be followed and also a minimum investment is needed rather than a large sum, most youngsters opt for vending on the footpath.
These are most definitely illegal activities and these are happening right under the nose of law enforcement authorities. But astonishingly so, even when every inch of the capital is under minute observation by individual police stations still such incidents are taking place. It is safe to say that if the law enforcement personnel were doing their duty properly then such scenes would not have come up.
