Dhaka: Footpaths are made so that pedestrians can have a safe and hassle-free walk, but almost all the footpaths alongside the major thoroughfares in the two city corporations of the capital remain illegally occupied by hawkers and others despite drives by the authorities concerned.

The two city corporations–Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC)–are responsible for maintaining about 163 km of footpath across the city, of which about 108 km are now under illegal occupation, creating obstacles to free pedestrian movement, according to sources at the DNCC and DSCC.

Thousands of illegal makeshift shops have sprung up, especially in Gulistan, Jatrabari, Saydabad, Mouchak, Shantinagar, Motijheel, New Market, Nilkhet, Nawabpur, Karwanbazar, Gulshan-1 &2, Badda, Natun Bazar, Baridahar J Block, Uttara, Mirpur, Farmgate and some other areas of the city corporations, including 108 km footpaths, forcing the pedestrians to use the main roads.

They said using main roads by pedestrians is very risky as it may cause accidents apart from triggering traffic congestions.

According to them, illegal parking on footpaths has emerged as another major problem in capital Dhaka, and a check on the growing illegal parking is also urgently needed.

‘This is true there is a space crunch and people don't have enough places to park, but that doesn’t mean they can take over the footpaths,’ said an official wishing not to be named.

Although eviction drives are conducted on regular basis by the city corporation officials to restore the footpaths, hawkers who are allegedly backed up by police and local political leaders usually return to the previous places after the drive and rebuild their structures.

Political leaders and activists and law enforcers extort money from the footpath hawkers in exchange of their help, the sources claimed.

According to them, some influential political leaders grabbed many footpaths and it is not possible to take action against them without permission from higher authorities, though one has to pay a fine of Tk 500-5,000 for grabbing any street or some other government establishments illegally as per the city corporation law 2009.

According to the Government and Local Authority Lands and Buildings (Recovery of Possession) Ordinance, 1970, an offender in this regard will be penalised with six months' imprisonment and Tk 1,000 as fine.

These two laws are not suitable for the present condition as the punishment is too light, and the government needs to make the laws stronger with some amendments to those, they said adding that a strong political will is needed to solve the problem.

They, however, said the government has taken an initiative to permanently solve the problem by creating political pressure on those backing the footpath hawkers.

Contacted, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokan said, ‘We’re going to take an initiative to evict the footpath shops permanently, but we need some time. We’ll take action against the influential people backing the footpath hawkers.’

Echoing his DSCC counterpart, DNCC Mayor Annisul Haque said he will visit every ward in his city corporation to raise public awareness against footpaths grabbing.