The streets belong to the influential
Who will go after the extortionists?
An investigation by this paper has confirmed what we unofficially know – that the reason why it is so hard to clear the city's footpaths of hawkers is because of an entrenched system of extortion involving influential groups. While the toll collector or 'lineman' is responsible for taking this illegal fee from each vendor, the total amount is distributed amongst political leaders, law enforcers and influential persons.
But the amount of money that is being fleeced, through intimidation, from these poor vendors - TK1,825 crore a year says a study - is beyond imagination. It is apparently as big as the combined budget of Dhaka's two city corporations.
Needless to say our mayors are faced with an immovable mountain when it comes to clearing the streets of illegal occupation. Dhaka South Corporation (DSCC) has in fact filed cases against individuals engaged in such extortion. But this has hardly deterred this nexus of extortionists. The obvious casualness with which these toll collectors operate and the apathy of the law enforcers about taking cases against them, points to the collusion reported by the study and alleged by many vendors. In fact the DS report reveals that whenever the city corporations try to clear footpaths and roads of hawkers, certain groups that have no connection to the actual sufferers, the hawkers, crop up to protest the move.
It is about time that our home ministry takes stringent steps to rid our city of these extortionists who include, reportedly, people belonging to very powerful quarters. Meanwhile a permanent solution for these hawkers have to be found so that they can sell their wares peacefully, without having to dole out protection money.