Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan has said that there are plans to build temporary markets in six open fields to rehabilitate street vendors currently occupying Dhaka’s footpaths.
Street vendors will be allowed to operate in these designated areas through a registration system, while maintenance of the sites will be managed through a fixed fee, he said on Saturday morning while speaking as chief guest at an urban dialogue titled “Is Dhaka Becoming a Dead City? What Needs to Be Done?”, held at a hotel in Gulshan.
The DNCC administrator said that the number of hawkers on sidewalks had surged from around 200 to nearly 2,000, causing major public inconvenience.
“Even ambulance movement in front of hospitals is being obstructed. Because of two per cent of people, 98 per cent are suffering. We do not want the entire city to suffer for a few hawkers,” he added.
He added further that the hawkers must operate only in designated places and remove their stalls after a fixed time.
“The stalls must be moving or only temporary structures will be allowed,” he said.
Shafiqul noted that most urban management efforts are temporary and emphasised the need for long-term planning to ensure sustainable solutions. He also underscored the importance of bringing Wasa, gas, and electricity services under a single coordinating authority.
