Sidewalk trading pushes pedestrians on to streets
Vendors sell fruits occupying the footpath at Jamal Khan Road.Photo: STAR
A large section of hawkers and roadside shop owners are on a frenzied mood in the port city to occupy the footpaths, pushing pedestrians on to the streets. Prior to the Eid-ul-Fitr, Durga Puja and Eid-ul Azha, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) allowed hawkers to run their businesses on some specific footpaths and even on some stretches of city roads for the 'time being.' The CMP also asked the hawkers to follow its guideline in this regard and wrap up their trading and vacate the footpaths after the festivals are over. But the CMP move soon faced a big blow, as the hawkers have showed no intention of withdrawal from the 'occupied' footpaths, causing sufferings to the pedestrians and the commuters. Instead, they continue to extend their business on the sidewalks due to laxity of the police administration. Moreover, the small traders also join in the frenzy of occupation and started stretching further the boundary of their shops by piling up goods or products on the footpaths. These street hawkers and makeshift shops have occupied the footpaths in many busy areas and roads, including New Market area, Station Road, Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) area, Agrabad Commercial Area, Chittagong Export Processing Zone, Momin Road, Kazir Dewry, Chawk Bazar, Muradpur, Sholoshahar Gate No 2, Jamal Khan, Bahoddarhat, Dewanhat Intersection, Aturer Depot and East and West Madarbari. The illegal occupation of footpaths and roads puts the passers-by into a miserable condition. The pedestrians are forced to undergo hassle to find their way through these occupied footpaths and come down to the streets. The long footpath along the CMCH area under Panchlaish Police Station was fairly walkable even two months ago, which has now turned into a mobile market where one would hardly find a vacant space to walk. Mobile hairdressers, fruit and cigarette vendors and fax-phone shops established their reign while several poor floating families also find their abode on this half-kilometre footpath. As a result, traffic congestion in front of all the three entrances of the CMCH has become a common sight. The 60-foot road surrounding New Market and the 50-foot Station Road have now reduced to barely 40 and 30 feet because of the rampant occupation of footpaths and roads. Prof Mujib Rahman, a teacher of Chittagong Govt City College, said he has to remain stranded in the jam for 15 to 20 minutes almost everyday on the road in the New Market area on the way to college and while return to home. “The picture on the footpath in front of the CMCH is shocking. Pedestrians like me often had to take the road to reach the hospital as it is hard to find any space on the footpath,” said Dr Monwarul Haq Shamim, an urologist. Hosne Ara, a kindergarten teacher, sometimes goes to her school on foot due to traffic jam on the road. "There is no space in the footpath to walk and on the road due to vendors and illegal parking of vehicles," Parveen said. She said sometime she is to face unpleasant greetings from a section of passers-by while stuck up in gridlock. The hawkers, however, urged the authorities to rehabilitate them permanently to get rid of the problem. Jahangir Hossain, a hawker at the CMCH area, said they were evicted several times but had to return to the professions again finding no alternatives. He said they are not able to possess shops in a market with their little investment that compels them to run business in the streets under the open sky. Masud Rana, a leader of Chittagong Metropolitan Hawkers' Association, said occupation of footpaths causes sufferings to the people but they are to run their business for their livelihood.
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