Ctg shop owners demand eviction of hawkers from footpath
Sunday, 31 January 2010
CHITTAGONG, Jan 30 (BSS): Shop owners in Chittagong city urged the authorities concerned to evict, what they said, illegal hawkers from the footpaths within next 48 hours and arrest those who attacked businessmen recently.
They placed the demands at a press conference of the Chittagong chapter of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association) at Chittagong Press Club Saturday afternoon.
President of the Samity Shafiq Ahmed and General Secretary Mohammad Salamat Ali spoke at the press conference.
Dozens of markets in and around Reazuddin Bazar, the port city's one of the important trade hubs, remained closed for the last three consecutive days following a series of clashes between hawkers and businessmen.
Several hundred shops of small vendors were torched Wednesday night and the arson attack continued intermittently on the following day before imposition of section 144 by the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
Leaders of the hawkers' organisation at a press conference yesterday (Friday) said the Jamaat-e-Islami backed traders along with their staff attacked the hawkers and set fire to at least 800 shops centering a trifling incident Wednesday night.
However, the Dokan Malik Samity leaders at the press conference said unruly hawkers with outsider miscreants unleashed a reign of terror in the areas, vandalised the shops, attacked traders and their staff Wednesday night and Thursday.
They said major portions of the footpaths, particularly in front of shopping malls in the most populated areas of the city, were occupied by illegal hawkers.
They placed the demands at a press conference of the Chittagong chapter of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association) at Chittagong Press Club Saturday afternoon.
President of the Samity Shafiq Ahmed and General Secretary Mohammad Salamat Ali spoke at the press conference.
Dozens of markets in and around Reazuddin Bazar, the port city's one of the important trade hubs, remained closed for the last three consecutive days following a series of clashes between hawkers and businessmen.
Several hundred shops of small vendors were torched Wednesday night and the arson attack continued intermittently on the following day before imposition of section 144 by the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.
Leaders of the hawkers' organisation at a press conference yesterday (Friday) said the Jamaat-e-Islami backed traders along with their staff attacked the hawkers and set fire to at least 800 shops centering a trifling incident Wednesday night.
However, the Dokan Malik Samity leaders at the press conference said unruly hawkers with outsider miscreants unleashed a reign of terror in the areas, vandalised the shops, attacked traders and their staff Wednesday night and Thursday.
They said major portions of the footpaths, particularly in front of shopping malls in the most populated areas of the city, were occupied by illegal hawkers.