Compromise: green to go

To the shock of many, Dhaka south mayor yesterday announced that they would rehabilitate an estimated 2,506 hawkers in the “open space” around Mohanagar Natya Mancha in front of the Bangabhaban, the President's residence/office.

Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon of Dhaka South City Corporation at a press conference also said he had instructed the engineering department to prepare a layout of whatever “leftover” space of what has been known as Shaheed Matiur Park for the rehabilitation of the hawkers to be evicted from Gulistan, Paltan, and Baitul Mukarram areas.

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Later, as this paper contacted him, the mayor said the rehabilitation would be temporary on what he termed “unused” space around the Mancha, an auditorium built by the city corporation on a portion of the park more than a decade ago.    

He said the hawkers would be relocated to the rebuilt Bangabazar and elsewhere afterwards.

When pointed out that it is a violation of wetland and open space conservation law to occupy a park or an open space in urban area for other purposes than what they were meant for, the mayor said, “As per our documents, it is recorded merely as open space around Natyamancha and not as a park or a playground.”

Hawkers selling goods outside the park. Photo: Palash Khan

The said open space has been officially known as Shaheed Matiur Park and formerly known as Gulistan Park.

Nearly a decade ago, this very city corporation prepared an architectural layout design with Buet experts for development of the park with a suggestion that the existing road across the park would be closed and a new road would be built around the park. 

They wrote a letter to the president in late April, 2006, seeking his permission to open the road to the west of the Bangabhaban.   

The city corporation, responsible for maintenance of the park, constructed an auditorium “Mahanagar Natyamancha” on a large portion of the 3.5-acre park. Later on, Sergeant Ahad Police Box and a mosque were constructed shrinking the park even further.

On Thursday, a clash broke out between hawkers and DSCC eviction team, as the latter embarked on a drive to remove illegal makeshift shops from pavements and the underpass market at Gulistan to make way for pedestrians.

The mobile court with which the city corporation went for eviction was not backed by police force. Some ruling party affiliate Chhatra League leaders as back up of DSCC officials opened fire to drive the hawkers away.   

As to why and how it happened, Khokon said, “It was an expression of emotion and excessive zeal. But we cannot endorse it. Police in their usual course should look into the incident.”