Footpath encroachment

The picture of a footpath in Farmgate published in our paper yesterday spoke a thousand words and aptly describes the woes of the pedestrians in the streets of Dhaka. The photograph showing a clogged walkway completely taken over by makeshift stalls is fairly representative of footpaths all over the capital. In fact, there are hardly any walkways left for the pedestrians in the city, resulting in people spilling on the road and impeding vehicular movement. To make matters even more grievous, these vendors at times encroach upon the streets at certain roundabouts. It defeats the entire purpose of having footpaths or roads in the first place. 

No public space can be occupied by any private establishment. It is a small wonder that these illegal installations have been allowed to run business for so long. Some corrupt officials, in connivance with local hoodlums, reportedly extort from these small traders, in lieu of which they can illegally occupy the footpaths. This nexus remains one of the biggest impediments to the capital becoming pedestrian friendly. 

We understand that these makeshift stalls are the lone source of living for the hawkers, whose number stands at thousands. While we are sympathetic towards them and the precarious nature of their existence, we believe that it is the government's responsibility to rehabilitate them where they will be able to successfully run their business. Some such previous attempts have turned out to be futile because of nepotism and mismanagement. The government has lessons to learn from that too.