Dhaka North, South City Corporations Launch Drives to Evict Illegal Structures, Ease Public Hardship

Shops have occupied almost entire footpaths across the capital, leaving little room for pedestrians. Goods, tables, chairs and temporary shelters have made walking difficult. To address the long-standing problem, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) are stepping up efforts to clear occupied footpaths and remove illegal structures. The drives aim to make footpaths accessible to pedestrians and improve movement across the city. Regular and effective enforcement would also help restore order.

On Wednesday, DSCC removed more than 100 illegal shops and structures from footpaths near Dhaka Trade Centre and Fulbaria Supermarket in Gulistan. It also seized materials and equipment from the structures. The corporation warned that anyone who reoccupies roads or footpaths after eviction could have their goods seized and face arrest if necessary.

The drive ran from 10am to 1pm. Heavy equipment, including a payloader, was used to demolish the structures. Four DSCC executive magistrates, more than 100 eviction workers and six platoons of police took part.

DSCC Property Officer and Executive Magistrate Hasiba Khan told Daily Inqilab that the corporation would take action against illegal structures. Structures built on the roofs of the north and south sections of Dhaka Centre, owned by DSCC, would be removed. Shops occupying footpaths beneath DSCC-owned markets were also being evicted. Unauthorised shops and warehouses built and rented out independently in some markets would also be removed, she said.

DSCC Chief Revenue Officer Zunaid Kabir Sohag told Daily Inqilab that building tin-roofed shops on the roofs of markets owned by the corporation was illegal. “We will not allow any illegal structures to remain,” he said. The corporation’s property department had been assigned to remove unauthorised structures from its markets.

DSCC Administrator Bir Muktijoddha Md Abdus Salam said the drive was part of the corporation’s regular efforts to keep roads and footpaths clean and free from encroachment. Certain footpaths, night markets and holiday markets have been designated for hawkers, who may operate only in those places.

He said the entire road from Gulistan to Sadarghat would be kept clear and hawkers would not be allowed on the main road. The corporation had issued warnings through various channels and held several meetings with hawker association leaders to prevent encroachment.

Mr Salam said goods would be seized and offenders could be arrested if they occupied roads or footpaths in violation of the rules. The campaign would continue to ensure safe pedestrian movement and restore order on the capital’s roads and footpaths. The corporation also planned to monitor cleared areas to prevent re-encroachment.

The operation was conducted by DSCC Chief Property Officer and Executive Magistrate Md Rezaul Karim, Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Magistrate Zunaid Kabir Sohag, Property Officer and Executive Magistrate Hasiba Khan, and Executive Magistrate Md Aminul Islam.

Meanwhile, DNCC conducted an eviction drive in Mirpur-1 to clear footpaths and make them accessible to pedestrians, following a similar operation in Mirpur-10. During the mobile court operation led by Executive Magistrate Marufa Akter Neli, the local police deputy commissioner, DNCC team members and residents assisted the authorities.

DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton said the campaign would not be limited to footpath clearance. Eviction drives would be conducted wherever encroachments obstructed residents’ movement, and all occupied footpaths would be cleared, he said.

He said residents of Mirpur-1, Shah Ali, Darus Salam, Mirpur and surrounding areas had long been deprived of their right to use the footpaths. Hawkers had illegally occupied roads and footpaths in Mirpur-1 and operated businesses there. Their activities had continued since what he described as the fascist period, not merely for the past one or two years, he said.

Mr Milton said he considered it his moral responsibility as DNCC administrator to restore public roads and footpaths to residents. Leaders of several market committees and local residents had repeatedly complained to him about the encroachment, he added.

He said local residents, market committee officials and shopkeepers had joined the authorities after the drive began. He pledged to work towards building a clean and green Dhaka in line with the Prime Minister’s directives for as long as he remained in office.

The campaign would continue, and Mirpur-1 would be made pedestrian-friendly like Mirpur-10, he said. Local leaders and residents would monitor the area after the eviction, while police would also oversee the situation. Legal action would be taken against anyone attempting to occupy the cleared areas again.

Zuhurul Alam, an inspector at DNCC Zone 2, said the drives would continue without a fixed schedule. “We will come at any time. We have two more teams. Even after we leave, they will visit and monitor the area,” he said.

Arman Hossain, a Mirpur resident, said footpaths were built to ensure safe movement for pedestrians, but encroachment had made them inaccessible. He welcomed the eviction drive but said removing structures alone would not solve the problem permanently. Authorities must monitor the areas to prevent re-encroachment, he added.

Ataur Rahman, a private-sector employee, said footpath shops made walking difficult during his morning commute, when traffic was heavy. Regular eviction drives and measures to prevent re-encroachment would make commuting easier, he said.