Rajshahi city’s footpaths have been grabbed again.
A few days ago, Rajshahi police evicted the illegal shops on the sidewalks, but the shops have been set up again grabbing footpaths and some parts of the main roads.
Due to these illegal shops, traffic jam continues throughout the day. Now there is no place to walk due to illegal shops on the footpath of Sahebbazar to Monichottor, the busiest road stretch of the city.
Pedestrians were freed from traffic congestions on April 16, for the illegal shops eviction program. But within three days, the footpaths of Saheb Bazar Zeropoint, Big Mosque and RDA Market were re-occupied. As a result, the previous situation has returned to the area and pedestrians are facing traffic jam again.
In front of the big mosque, fruit, tea and clothes are being sold again on vans along with hawkers selling various medicines. The cigarette shopkeepers and the flower vendors sit at the previous place, while pants, belts and cosmetic goods shopkeepers are also busy selling..
The flags, lungi, towel shopkeepers are sitting on the other side of the street where they sat three days ago. They have grabbed the sidewalk and also a few parts of the main road. So the road has narrowed down and the pedestrians are at risk. It seems that the previous traffic congestion has returned.
Lungi-towels shopkeeper Rahidul Islam, flower trader Sumon Ali and fruit seller Jamil Hossain said, there is no place to set up the shops. They admitted that pedestrians have problems, and the traffic congestion is going on due to occupying the footpath. But they have to sit on the footpath and on the streets for livelihood, they said.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) spokesman and senior assistant commissioner of traffic department Ifte Khayer Alam said the illegal shops were removed from the footpath at the order of the police commissioner. The eviction program will continue if the commissioner orders again.
AIMD
