Hundreds of shops on the sidewalks of Dhaka's Farmgate area have been demolished in a joint operation by the authorities, leading to a protest by street hawkers.
A joint team consisting of police, army, RAB, and city corporation officials conducted the eviction drive in the area on Tuesday. The operation extended from Green Road to Khamarbari, clearing hundreds of makeshift shops that occupied sidewalks and roads.
During a visit, it was observed that many police, army, and RAB personnel started the eviction in front of Green Super Market at Farmgate around midday.
The operation, which lasted for about four hours, removed nearly a thousand illegal shops from areas including Ananda Cinema, Farmgate Super Market, from in front of Tejgaon College and Khamarbari.
Hundreds of hawkers staged a protest against the eviction. During the rally, the hawkers blocked the road at the Khamarbari intersection and were seen vandalising a few vehicles.
They later continued their march towards Tejgaon College and protested for about half an hour before heading to Ananda Cinema, where they continued demonstrating.
Md Shafik, another hawker, accused authorities of extortion, saying: "Previously, the police and others would collect extortion from each shop in Farmgate, and there were no issue. Now, when no one is collecting bribes, we are being evicted. Is this a sign that they want to resume extortion? We will not allow this. If they push us to the limit, we will launch a tougher movement."
DMP Tejgaon Division Deputy Police Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Ruhul Kabir Khan said, "Farmgate is a very busy area in the city where thousands of people commute daily. The occupation of sidewalks and roads caused inconvenience to the public and increased criminal activities. That's why the sidewalks in Farmgate were cleared."
Therefore, a joint operation was conducted on Tuesday by police, army, RAB, and city corporation officials to free the sidewalks and roads." A team from the Tejgaon temporary military camp, led by Capt Abrar, participated in the operation.
Tejgaon Division Additional Deputy Police Mohammad Ziaul Haque said, "The unauthorized shops on sidewalks and roads create significant inconvenience for the public and contribute to an increase in thefts and muggings. Therefore, no hawkers will be allowed on the sidewalks or roads in Farmgate as part of the ongoing joint operation."
