City passenger sheds under illegal occupation

. PHOTO: STAR

Finding no space available at the sheds, the helpless commuters wait for vehicles on open footpaths or roads, no matter whether it is scorching summer or incessant shower.

The sheds at New Market, Agrabad, Choumuhani, Kazir Dewri, Laldighi, Station Road, Sholoshahar Gate No-2, Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) area, Wasa Intersection, Muradpur, Chittagong College Road and Chittagong Port areas are virtually occupied by hawkers and small traders.

The Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) leased 38 sheds to eight firms for 25 years in 1989. They leased one-third's space of each shed for specific commercial use, like newspaper or magazine stall. But the lessees are violating the agreement in most of the cases.

Acting City Mayor M Monzur Alam said they will investigate the matter and take actions against the violators of the agreement.

Two audio-video and one phone-fax shops were doing brisk businesses by capturing two-third's space of the shed at Station Road. Commuters often face trouble to stand there for transports. Customers or relatives of the shopkeepers always occupy the lone bench of the shed.

Private Ambulance Drivers' Association and phone-fax traders have occupied the two sheds at both ends of the road in front of the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) while typists and stamp sellers have captured the entire space of the shed in front of Janata Bank at Agrabad Commercial Area. The shed in front of the General Post Office (GPO) at New Market area is taken by two small vendors, one newspaper-plus-magazine seller and another is betel leaf seller.

Everyday more than 10,000 transports -- bus, tempo and human hauler -- ply to and from this route but there is hardly any space for passengers at the shed.

Another shed at the New Market area near the foot-over bridge and Municipal Model High School evokes the worst kind of impression about a 'passenger shed' in true sense. One will fall in labyrinth to spot the shed. The mobile vendors, largely sellers of old garments, have taken so much freedom that they sprawl their hegemony even on the roads and footpaths, overshadowing the shed.

Thus, the sheds at Kazir Dewri, Laldighi and Wasa Intersection go to magazine sellers while Sholoshahar, Chittagong College, Muradpur and few other sheds are now (partly or entirely) belong to the tea stall and betel leaf owners.

"I travel quite often to and from my college and New Market area or Sholoshahar, and each time I try in vain to wait under the shed to catch the bus," said Rizwanul Haq, an English teacher of Chittagong College.

Rashedul Amin, a banker who travels everyday to and from Agrabad Commercial Area, said "I have never found a good space due to the encroachment of Agrabad shed."

He said he usually takes auto-rickshaw to reach his bank or home at Chawk Bazar to avoid such hazard.

"We spent a lot of money to get possession here and we need to recover the loss anyhow," said Jahangir Alam, a vendor at the shed near Municipal School.

Moazzem, a typist at Agrabad shed, said they had to make police and goons happy on regular basis to run their business.