Govt Takes Bold Steps to Make Dhaka Livable

Eviction drives in the capital Dhaka have become the talk of the city. For the past few days, the city corporations have worked through many hurdles to clear footpaths of hawkers and remove illegal structures beside roads. Some low income people and illegal occupiers face short term trouble in these drives. But ordinary people feel very happy.

People could not walk on these roads and footpaths before, but now they move freely. Pedestrians and Dhaka’s taxpayers are happy. On the strict order of Prime Minister Mr. Tarique Rahman, two administrators lead the drives themselves with magistrates beside them. They are Mr. Shafiqul Islam Khan of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Mr. Abdus Salam of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The media and social media share photo reports of the firm stand of the two administrators, and both receive wide praise. After the drives, cleaners sweep the roads and footpaths in the areas. DNCC has started work to create a pleasant and beautiful setting. The old scene of shops and crowds has changed into a very different picture.

In 2011, Parliament passed a bill to end the undivided Dhaka City Corporation. It split Dhaka into two parts to make civic facilities smooth, and it formed DNCC and DSCC. But more than a decade has passed since the split, and civic facilities have not grown much. Problems have grown instead.

The authorities sometimes ran drives to free footpaths, but those drives were only a game of eviction. If they evicted people one day, occupiers took the place back the next day. Dhaka needs a political decision to become fit to live in and free of occupation and pollution. Past governments did not dare to be strict, because they thought of the votes of hawkers, rickshaw pullers and slum dwellers.

Late, but now the two city administrations show strictness without thinking of the coming city corporation election. Every day, DNCC and DSCC run drives in some area to free footpaths and roads from illegal occupation. DNCC has worked in many areas. It removed illegal structures and shops from footpaths of several roads in the Farmgate area.

It also cleared mobile shops and illegal structures from footpaths on Green Road and Panthapath. It ran a special drive to free footpaths in the Agargaon area. It ran a drive to open the footpath at Rajlakshmi Complex in Uttara. It ran drives to remove illegal occupation from footpaths in Mirpur 2, Mirpur 10 and Mirpur 14.

DNCC also ran drives on the Mohammadpur Ring Road from Shyamoli to Shia Mosque and on its branch roads. It ran drives at several places in Tejgaon as well. DSCC removed illegal structures from footpaths, roads and riverbanks in many areas. It ran a joint drive in Islambagh, under Lalbagh and Kamrangirchar police stations, on the bank of the Buriganga river.

The drive followed a High Court order. It removed 50 illegal structures and about 100 tonnes of waste. In Gulistan and Paltan, DSCC ran drives and checks again and again to free footpaths and roads. These areas include Gulistan Zero Point, the Golap Shah Mazar area, Gulistan Trade Center and Paltan.

On Elephant Road, the revenue and engineering departments worked together. They removed illegal structures and floating shops from both sides of the road. Drives also cleared the footpaths in Moghbazar and in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. In Segunbagicha, a drive removed illegal structures around the Shilpakala Academy.

Visits to the sites show DNCC cleaners sweeping roads and footpaths after the drives. Footpaths once full of rubbish now let pedestrians walk freely. People feel very happy because the drives freed the footpaths. Traffic jam, once constant all day, is much lower. Permanent traders also gain.

Mr. Shahadat Khandaker, a seller at Shah Ali Plaza, said the roads are clean after the eviction. He said people who bought from outside footpaths now come to the market. He said sales of traders who have worked here for a long time are rising. Mr. Shafiqul Islam, a resident of Mirpur 10, echoed the traders.

He said he has lived in Mirpur for about 30 years. The road was open once, but then the footpath became unfit for walking. Footpath shops also cut sales in the market shops. He said the roads are very clean now, and he wants such clean roads. Drivers also feel relief. One driver said it once took a long time and great effort to drive from Mirpur 10 to BRTA.

He said that after the eviction of illegal structures, he crossed this road in a moment. Illegal occupiers held the area under the foot over bridge at Mirpur 10 roundabout for a long time. The authorities have started work to plant trees there and create a pleasant and beautiful setting for pedestrians. The old scene of shops and crowds is gone, and Mirpur 10 looks like an unknown city now.

A few days ago, the picture was very different. An illegal footpath market took about two thirds of the road at Mirpur 10 roundabout and Hope School Road. Rows of shops sat on the footpath and road in front of Hope School and Mirpur Girls Ideal School, and hawkers shouted loudly. Crowds of people and vehicles filled the mouths of three roads east of the roundabout.

Vehicles and pedestrians both suffered every day. The drive freed the whole area. Mr. Shafiqul Islam Khan, administrator of DNCC, spoke about the drives. He said DNCC runs regular eviction drives to ensure the comfort of city people. He said people who held the footpaths for a long time, and those who push them, attacked DNCC’s transport, journalists and some police members yesterday.

He said local people then pushed back, and the attackers had to leave. He declared clearly that the programme to take back footpaths will go on, for city service and for the free movement of dear city dwellers. He said the people of Mirpur want footpaths free of occupation. If anyone tries to occupy footpaths in future at someone’s urging, the authorities will take legal action against them too.

Asking for help from the people of Mirpur, the administrator said the drives have run for several days. He said the authorities do this work as the public demands. He said clearing footpaths is their moral duty, and they will go on out of this sense of duty. He asked people to help them.