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Hawker-free streets before Saarc summit

KAUSAR ISLAM AYON
Dhaka streets will be hawker-free next month as the home ministry, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) have joined hands to execute the task ahead of the 13th Saarc Summit scheduled for November 12-13.
The hawker eviction drive will begin soon after the Eid-ul-Fitr, according to a decision taken at a recent meeting of all the concerned ministries and the utility service providers.
But the DCC mayor himself is not sure about keeping the footpaths and roads free from hawkers permanently after the seven-nation summit.
“It's a matter of regular drive. If we don't keep vigil on any place after an eviction drive, hawkers come back and start business again. So we have to think about alternative ways and a permanent solution,” said Sadeque Hossain Khoka, the mayor.
The DCC earlier decided in principle to introduce 'Friday Market' to allow the hawkers to use a particular footpath on a particular day. But the plan could not be implemented. “We are serious about this matter. We are going to start it soon,” said the mayor.
About 40 percent of the 220-kilometre footpaths in the city are now occupied by the vendors despite a High Court order to DCC and other agencies to keep them hawker-free.
The High Court order came on February 11, 2001 to ensure the rights of the pedestrians to move freely and safely on Dhaka streets.
The DCC, DMP and other agencies have so far failed to comply with the High Court order. Even the ongoing drive of 35 mobile courts in the capital could do nothing to make the city footpaths free from the hawkers.
“We are not getting support from the DCC. Unless they provide us with necessary information, we cannot take action against the hawkers on the streets,” said Jalal Ahmed, chief metropolitan magistrate, Dhaka.
The mobile courts have 16 representatives from the DCC but none of them are from its Estate Department, sources said. “We are going to include our representatives in the mobile courts by this week,” said Abu Taleb, chief estate office, DCC.
The hawkers, however, are not unhappy about the government plan to evict them before the Saarc Summit. Talking to Star City, a number of hawkers said they are ready to leave the footpaths before the summit, but for a temporary period.
“Saarc Summit will be held immediately after Eid and usually we take a long break after Eid,” said Abdul Kader, a hawker at Farmgate.
The government has also decided to keep the city free from vagrants and beggars during the summit by sending them to shelter homes.
According to non-government statistics, the number of vagrants and beggars in Dhaka is more than 20,000. The six government shelter homes in the country have accommodation for only 1,900 people and all are already occupied.
“We can remove vagrants and beggars from the VIP and other important roads only. But the hawkers will be evicted from the entire city,” said the city mayor.