The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has brought street vendors in Mirpur under a regulatory framework by issuing digital identity cards to more than 200 hawkers and initiating their relocation to designated sites.
The distribution programme was inaugurated on Thursday afternoon at DNCC’s Nagar Bhaban by Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan.
The event was presided over by Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Asaduzzaman.
Officials said the move aims to streamline hawker activities on key roads in Mirpur-1, Mirpur-2 and Mirpur-10 by providing legal recognition and designated trading spaces.
Speaking at the event, the administrator said the initiative followed consultations with hawkers, who agreed to operate within a lawful framework. A verified list was prepared with support from law enforcement agencies, and relocation will be implemented in phases.
A total of 202 vendors received digital ID cards in the first phase. Of them, 102 vendors from Mirpur-10 will be relocated to the Mirpur-13 WASA Road area, while the remaining 100 will be shifted to an open space near Gabtoli Kitchen Bazar.
DNCC sources said there are 829 enlisted hawkers in total, and the remaining vendors will be gradually brought under the programme and relocated accordingly.
The administrator warned that a limited timeframe would be given for relocation, after which eviction drives would be conducted against those continuing business in unauthorised areas.
He said the initiative aligns with the government’s directive to ensure livelihoods for hawkers through planned and humane measures, enabling them to operate legally without disrupting traffic and public movement.
Earlier proposals to rehabilitate hawkers in six playgrounds were scrapped after inspections revealed those fields were actively used by children for recreation.
The DNCC is also considering establishing dedicated “hawkers’ markets” in the future as a long-term solution.
Vendors have been instructed not to operate outside designated areas or build any permanent structures.
A monitoring committee comprising DNCC officials and members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) will oversee the relocation process.
Among others present were DNCC Chief Waste Management Officer Commodore Humayun Kabir, Chief Health Officer Brig Gen Imrul Kayes Chowdhury, Chief Engineer Brig Gen Syed Rakibul Hasan, along with officials from DNCC and DMP.
