PM orders rapid rehabilitation of evicted street vendors

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman directs authorities to ensure rapid rehabilitation of street vendors evicted from roads across the crammed capital city, stressing coordinated action to provide them with viable alternatives.
The directive came Saturday during a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office, said a spokesman for the PMO.
Senior officials from the Local Government Division, Dhaka North City Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, and the Dhaka Metropolitan Police were present.
"The prime minister instructed the relevant ministries and agencies to jointly identify alternative locations without delay."
He has emphasized that the displaced vendors "must be relocated to places where they can conduct business comfortably and with renewed motivation".
Recently, several hundred roadside shops were removed from areas that include Mirpur-1 under DNCC and Motijheel, Baitul Mukarram, Paltan, and Gulistan under DSCC as part of drives to ease congestion and reclaim encroached-upon public spaces.
The meeting decides that the government would arrange designated spaces for the evicted vendors. A registration system will also be introduced to issue identity cards, ensuring that their activities are organised and regulated.
The prime minister also urges measures to reduce traffic congestion during school and college hours.
He notes that unregulated parking in front of educational institutions contributes significantly to gridlock, suggesting that institutions could allocate part of their own grounds for parking facilities.
Among those present were Local Government Division Secretary Shahidul Hasan, RAJUK Chairman Engineer Riazul Islam, DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam, DNCC Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan, and acting DMP Commissioner Md. Sarwar, along with other senior officials.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com