Footpath Eviction: Time for a Permanent Solution

In the major cities of our country, particularly in Dhaka and Chattogram, as well as in other metropolitan areas, “footpath eviction drives” have become a very familiar scene. At regular intervals, eviction drives are conducted with bulldozers, magistrates and large contingents of police. Photographs appear in newspapers, the drives become headlines on television channels, and senior officials of the relevant authorities make strong declarations about returning the footpaths to pedestrians. But soon after the cameras move away, or within a few days, the familiar picture returns. The footpath that was cleared in the afternoon is once again occupied by rows of hawkers calling out to customers the next morning. These drives are assumed merely a drama staged for public display as there is no any far-reaching vision of genuine urban planning behind them.

One of the primary conditions of a modern and liveable city is to ensure safe and proper movement for pedestrians. A footpath is not merely a road; it is the lifeline of urban life. Yet, if we look at the major cities, it can be seen that there is no opportunity to walk freely on nearly 80 per cent of the footpaths. In some places, hawkers’ stalls and plastic tarpaulins occupy the space; in others, temporary tea stalls; while elsewhere, construction materials of multi-storey buildings or privately parked cars have taken over the footpaths. The consequences are extremely serious. Having no way to walk on the footpaths, ordinary people are forced to come down onto the main roads. As a result, alongside severe traffic congestion, serious road accidents are occurring regularly. For elderly people, children and persons with disabilities, moving around the city streets has now become tantamount to risking their lives. The footpath that was supposed to provide pedestrians with a safe means of walking has today turned into a trap of suffering and accidents.

The real success of urban planners and authorities lies in balancing two objectives: keeping footpaths free for pedestrians while ensuring that small traders who depend on them can earn a living with dignity. Ending temporary, routine and publicity-driven eviction drives and pursuing a permanent solution through political and administrative commitment is now the only way forward.

To understand why footpath encroachment persists, we must look at the huge illegal economy that has grown around it. The main obstacle to permanent eviction is not ordinary hawkers but the invisible and powerful syndicate operating behind them. Research has shown that major cities generate huge amounts of extortion from individual footpath shops. An influential network of local political leaders, dishonest police members and extortionists known as “linemen” controls this system. Every day, crores of taka are collected from hawkers, much of which reportedly reaches influential individuals. Thus, clearing an area of encroachment would cut off a major source of illegal income. That is why the syndicate has no interest in keeping footpaths permanently clear. During eviction drives, its members retreat temporarily, only to return within days and restore the hawkers while resuming extortion.

While discussing footpath encroachment, we cannot ignore another reality of our society: the severe shortage of formal employment opportunities. Thousands of unemployed people, those displaced by river erosion and others pushed out of the rural economy turn to hawking to make a living. This small business offers a form of self-employment requiring very little capital. When eviction drives suddenly destroy or confiscate a hawker’s goods, the family can be pushed towards extreme hunger and a humanitarian crisis. Driving hawkers away without providing alternative livelihoods or an effective rehabilitation plan is not only inhumane but also unrealistic. Driven by the need to survive, they will return to the streets the very next day. Therefore, the economic and social crisis affecting millions cannot be solved through legal strictness or the use of batons alone.

Many major cities around the world have also faced the problem of hawkers, but instead of relying on repeated evictions, they have developed sustainable solutions. In neighbouring India and cities such as Bangkok and Singapore, hawkers have been recognised as part of the urban system and brought under specific rules. First, cities have been divided into “vending zones” and “non-vending zones.” Important commercial areas and busy intersections are declared “non-vending zones,” while hawkers can operate for specified periods in convenient, less-busy locations. Second, authorities collect each hawker’s biometric information, create digital databases and issue valid cards to prevent outsiders from occupying footpaths and curb extortion. Some roads also allow time-sharing at night or after office hours. Finally, monitoring committees involving local residents, pedestrians, hawker representatives and civil society oversee regular post-eviction compliance instead of leaving the task solely to the administration or police.

Keeping footpaths safe and free for pedestrian movement is one of the primary responsibilities of urban authorities. However, temporary drives staged for public display or one-sided evictions will never bring a permanent result in fulfilling this responsibility. It is now time to stop wasting taxpayers’ money by merely displaying manpower and force. A clear and specific policy is needed for a permanent solution to the problem. On the one hand, there must be zero tolerance in law enforcement and the extortionists at the root of the system must be eliminated; on the other hand, considering the lives and livelihoods of hawkers, they must gradually be brought under rehabilitation at designated locations.

The real success of urban planners and authorities lies in balancing two objectives: keeping footpaths free for pedestrians while ensuring that small traders who depend on them can earn a living with dignity. Ending temporary, routine and publicity-driven eviction drives and pursuing a permanent solution through political and administrative commitment is now the only way forward. Removing footpath encroachment is not a one-day event or a public show; it requires a continuous, coordinated and well-planned management system.