Rehabilitation before eviction

The hawker leaders at a roundtable yesterday demanded that the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) rehabilitate them before eviction, conducted since last week.

They also demanded preparation of a new list of hawkers for rehabilitation as the previous one, prepared by DSCC, contains only 2,506 of them.

The roundtable was organised by Bangladesh Hawkers Union at the capital's Mukti Bhaban.

On January 11, DSCC Mayor Sayeed Khokon announced that the hawkers will not be allowed to sit with their goods in Gulistan and adjacent areas during regular working hours from January 15.

But they will be allowed to sit at some selected places in the area from 6:30pm onwards during the working days, and on the holidays they will be allowed to do business all day, he said at a meeting with hawker leaders.

The city corporation magistrates have been conducting eviction drives in the area since Sunday, amid protest from the hawkers.

At the roundtable, rights activist barrister Sara Hossain said the government should take some steps that will not harm the hawkers' rights and pedestrians do not have to suffer.

She said the law enforcers cannot torture the hawkers violating their human rights.

Ruhin Hossain Prince, a central leader of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said the city corporation should ensure the hawkers' rehabilitation, and until then they should be given the access to use a certain space of the footpaths with a minimum charge.

Abdul Hasim Kabir, president of the hawkers union, demanded amendment to the list of hawkers.

Meanwhile, the union leaders held a protest rally and went to the office of Councillor Farid Uddin Ahammed Ratan (ward-20) in Segunbagicha to press home their demand.

They claimed the councillor complied with their rehabilitation demand but did not agree on the list's amendment.