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Vendors occupy sidewalks in busy business hub

KAUSER ISLAM AYON
Vendors are back to re-occupy sidewalks and parts of the roads in Motijheel-Dilkusha, the city's busiest area, where fish, meat, vegetables and kitchenware are sold.
On hearing that a report was in the making last week by a Star City correspondent on encroachment, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) initiated by the district commissioner (DC) himself, had the market evicted during the time queries were made.
But the vendors have started gradually re-occupying the same areas after the temporary eviction. This illegal market pollutes these commercial areas, hampering their characters.
According to greengrocers, the shops have been mushrooming over the last six months.
"I sell fish in this market from the beginning of this year and to continue without disruption, I bribe the police regularly," said a fishmonger. He migrated to Dhaka from Jamalpur because of river erosion last year.
The situation is worse in the Dilkusha area, from the American Express bank building to BCIC auditorium. About a 100 makeshift shops sell all possible kitchen items producing a huge amount of waste a day in the process.
Neither Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) nor the police had taken any action against this encroachment till last week. It is alleged that the police regularly collect at least Tk 3,000 a day and about Tk 1 lakh a month in extortion money from these shops.
"A lineman of police regularly collects
illegal tolls from us, varying from Tk 20 to Tk 50 a shop, depending on its size," a shopkeeper said.
Although this market has blocked entry to the Bangladesh Rifles camp housed in an under-construction building of Peoples Insurance Company Limited, BDR officials did not want to comment on the issue, when contacted.
It is alleged that workers, staff and high officials of the offices in the area are indirectly responsible as they regularly patronise this market.
"As part of society they do not stoop to think how their support has almost turned the entire area into wasteland," said an official of BCIC, claiming that he never patronises these vendors.
But regular customers believe it eases their lives.
"There is no kitchen market in this area and I am left with no choice but to shop at these makeshift market," said a class four employee in Motijheel.
Hundreds of others, like him rush to this market regularly. According to shopowners the peak hours of this market are immediately after offices close for the day, between 3:00pm and 6:00pm as most customers shop on their way home.
DCC's Chief Estate Officer Abu Taleb said the DCC has nothing to do, as they run short of workers and funds.
"To evict these shops and markets we need police assistance, which does not come when we ask for," he said.
Contacted, AKM Rafique Uddin, officerin-charge (OC) of Motijheel Police Station, showed annoyance at this correspondent.
"Should I explain my job to you? I know what I should do. It would be better for you not to interfere," he sternly reacted.