Dhaka has long been known as a living museum of urban mismanagement. However, the City Corporation’s recent gala initiative to introduce ‘Hawker Cards’ – effectively leasing out sidewalks and roads – is not merely mismanagement; it is a calculated suicide mission. Over the past few decades, we have witnessed hundreds of eviction drives across the capital. The sight of bulldozers crushing makeshift stalls, police baton charges, and the desperate cries of hawkers have been staples of our daily news.
Yet, with the launch of these ‘Hawker Cards,’ civil society is now compelled to scream: everything that happened before was merely an epic ‘eviction drama’ staged to pacify public outrage. When an administration arranges to lease the only pedestrian paths to illegal encroachers, it becomes clear that the interests of powerful syndicates far outweigh the rights of ordinary citizens in the eyes of our policymakers.
According to data from research organisations such as BRAC and various civic bodies, nearly BDT 1,800 to 1,900 crore is extorted annually from the sidewalks under Dhaka’s two city corporations. Over 300,000 hawkers are victims of this systemic extortion. Previously, hawkers paid ‘linemen’ – proxies for local political heavyweights and sections of the police – daily. Now, that same arrangement will be further organised under an official government seal. One does not need to be a rocket scientist to understand whose pockets will ultimately be lined with these billions. This is a direct sale of the citizens’ right to mobility to enrich a specific vested interest group.
Looking at successful megacities worldwide, this decision appears not only laughable but also uncivilised. Densely populated cities were once plagued by hawker problems far worse than ours. In the 1970s, the Singaporean government cleared the streets with an iron fist and relocated hawkers into disciplined ‘Hawker Centres.’ They were provided with modern stalls, sanitation, and waste management. Today, Singapore’s hawker culture is UNESCO-recognised, yet they never allowed their sidewalks to be desecrated. In Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, there are ‘Pavement Management’ policies where hawking outside designated boundaries is strictly forbidden. In several major Indian cities, ‘Hawking’ and ‘Non-Hawking’ zones are clearly demarcated, with high-court mandates ensuring that at least two-thirds of the sidewalk remains open to pedestrians. In contrast, ‘planning’ in Dhaka is often just a new trap for plunder.
The encroachment of sidewalks has a direct and devastating impact on public safety. Analysis of road accident statistics shows that a majority of pedestrian casualties in Dhaka occur because they are unable to use the sidewalks. For women, children, and the elderly, this situation is nothing short of a nightmare. Will the officials distributing these cards take responsibility for the ensuing tragedies? Or will they simply stage another ‘inquiry committee’ drama after every death? Using ‘livelihood’ as an excuse to push millions of city dwellers toward death on the streets can never be termed ‘humanity.’
When stalls are erected on sidewalks using plastic, polythene, and tarpaulins, it intensifies the ‘Urban Heat Island’ effect. Airflow is blocked, and waste management falls into utter chaos. During the monsoon, the plastic waste from these hawkers clogs the drains – a primary cause of the city’s notorious waterlogging. On one hand, the City Corporation spends crores on cleaning drains; on the other, they are legalising the very source of the blockage right on top of those drains. This is a long-term environmental catastrophe. If the main arteries of a capital city are held hostage by encroachers in this manner, there is no choice but to declare the city ‘dysfunctional’ on the global stage.
In any civilised nation, sidewalks are constructed with taxpayers’ money to ensure the comfort and safety of citizens. Legally, the leasing of sidewalks or the issuance of Hawker Cards is a direct violation of various Supreme Court directives. Multiple rulings have affirmed that public thoroughfares cannot be used for commercial purposes. By initiating this ‘card’ system, the City Corporation is effectively defying the rule of law. If citizens file writ petitions, this project will undoubtedly face legal challenges. Yet, this path is being taken because short-term political gains and financial kickbacks are prioritised.
The rehabilitation of hawkers is undeniably necessary; they, too, have a right to a livelihood. Hawkers could have been accommodated in multi-story markets or designated zones in unused government lands. While RAJUK and the City Corporation have built several markets over the years, hawkers have found no place there; instead, those spaces have been occupied by influential businessmen. This failure lies with the administration, not the hawkers. Yet, instead of pursuing sustainable solutions, they have chosen the easy and lucrative path of leasing sidewalks. This is a manifestation of administrative bankruptcy. The duty of officials paid by the public is to keep the public’s path clear, not to act as guards for encroachers.
Ultimately, this city no longer belongs to its actual citizens. It has become a playground for syndicates and incompetent policymakers. Legalising sidewalk encroachment is akin to giving state recognition to anarchy. If the true goal were the welfare of hawkers, they would be provided with healthy and modern employment opportunities. Leasing sidewalks is no solution; it is a testament to the ultimate failure of a dysfunctional urban administration. If the City Corporation does not backtrack from this reckless decision, Dhaka will soon transform into a massive, uninhabitable slum. Return the sidewalks to the pedestrians; rehabilitate the hawkers in permanent, designated markets. Otherwise, history will remember this ‘Hawker Card’ project as the death warrant of a megacity.
Citizens must speak up now, for our silence is what emboldens this legalisation of chaos. The sidewalks belong to you, to me, and to the future generations of this city – no one has the right to sell them. The first step toward building a modern Dhaka must be the restoration of public rights, not the legalisation of encroachment.
The writer is a Senior Journalist and President of the Bangladesh Online Journalist Association
