No steps in sight to rehabilitate hawkers in port city
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, Oct 29: No effective step to rehabilitating over 25 thousand hawkers of the city by any concerned quarter is yet in sight. On availing the provisional chance of sitting over the footpaths before Eid-ul-Fitr, these hawkers have again occupied the foot paths and adjoining roads of all important areas of the Port City, sources said.
However, the hawkers' community have called for earmarking the sites of Holiday Market conveniently in Chittagong like Dhaka consulting the hawkers' representatives, preserving law and order situation in the city.
It is gathered that there may well be at least 25 thousand footpath vendors in the city. Besides, the number of vendors with driving vans or pushcarts is also not negligible.
Moreover, during different festivals, many hawkers are on the streets most of whom later join this livelihood on a permanent basis.
It deserves mentioning that no political government in the past has made any permanent arrangement for the secured livelihood of such a large number of floating traders. Yet, it is this very people who come to the aid of the political parties come election time.
It may also be mentioned that these hawkers have to 'manage' the law enforcers too in order to conduct their business on the streets, sources added.
However, sources say that the Chittagong City Corporation have requested the concerned authorities not to evict the hawkers unless they are rehabilitated elsewhere and discussion is underway to fix the sites for constructing the holiday markets in the city.
CHITTAGONG, Oct 29: No effective step to rehabilitating over 25 thousand hawkers of the city by any concerned quarter is yet in sight. On availing the provisional chance of sitting over the footpaths before Eid-ul-Fitr, these hawkers have again occupied the foot paths and adjoining roads of all important areas of the Port City, sources said.
However, the hawkers' community have called for earmarking the sites of Holiday Market conveniently in Chittagong like Dhaka consulting the hawkers' representatives, preserving law and order situation in the city.
It is gathered that there may well be at least 25 thousand footpath vendors in the city. Besides, the number of vendors with driving vans or pushcarts is also not negligible.
Moreover, during different festivals, many hawkers are on the streets most of whom later join this livelihood on a permanent basis.
It deserves mentioning that no political government in the past has made any permanent arrangement for the secured livelihood of such a large number of floating traders. Yet, it is this very people who come to the aid of the political parties come election time.
It may also be mentioned that these hawkers have to 'manage' the law enforcers too in order to conduct their business on the streets, sources added.
However, sources say that the Chittagong City Corporation have requested the concerned authorities not to evict the hawkers unless they are rehabilitated elsewhere and discussion is underway to fix the sites for constructing the holiday markets in the city.