About 10 to 12 hoodlums took hold of the shops along the footpath and boundary walls of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and rented them out to people who pay between Tk 1,200 and 1,500 a month. Each tenant paid Tk 10,000 to 15,000 as booking advances depending on the size and location of the shops. A variety of shops, from construction materials, pay phone shops, fast food outlets to restaurants, are accommodated in the market.

"These criminals get support from their godfathers. This is why it is impossible to evict them," remarked a local resident.

Though the verdict was given in December 2003, DCC has not been able to take any steps to bring the market under its control as yet and it is feared that it would eventually lose authority. A DCC source on condition of anonymity said, "To take control we have to first distribute the shops to legal tenants. As the DCC is delaying to make a decision, the takeover will be difficult later on."

The shops have now moved forward to occupy at least a half a kilometre stretch of the footpath. The DCC has been unable to take control of the market two years after completing its construction at a cost of around Tk 86 lakh.

When the DCC floated tender in 2001, the DMCH authorities complained to the former mayor that the proposed market would create environmental hazards.

"The engineering department decided to build the market prior to a feasibility survey of the area. No consultation with DCC's Market Circle division (MCD) was made though the MCD manages the DCC-owned markets," said a DCC official.

The DCC formed a 'Market Distribution Committee' in June last year led by its chief executive officer. Commissioners of the area concerned, top officials of the departments of engineering, revenue, estate and law sit on the committee while the deputy chief revenue officer (Market) is member secretary.