<i>Hawkers rule footpaths ahead of Eid</i>

Hawkers have occupied most of the footpaths in the port city from the very beginning of Ramadan. The photo was taken from New Market area on Tuesday.Photo: STAR

Hawkers and roadside shop owners, especially the seasoned vendors, have started encroaching on the footpaths in the port city with the beginning of holy Ramadan to earn quick bucks ahead of Eid and Puja festivities.
They, pushing pedestrians on to the roads and causing immense problems to the commuters, have already occupied most of the city footpaths.
Usually, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) allows hawkers in limited scale to run their trades on specific footpaths for the 'time being' during Eid-ul Fitr and Durga Puja festivals on 'humanitarian grounds.'
But the hawkers this time, taking advantage of the CMP lenience, virtually reign in the city footpaths bothering little to the sufferings of the common people. Worst more, the small roadside traders also join the frenzy of occupation and stretched further the boundary of their shops by piling up goods or products on the footpaths.
These footpaths in and around New Market, Station Road, Kadamtali Bus Terminal area, Chittagong Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) area, Agrabad Commercial Area, Dewan Hat Intersection, Chittagong Export Processing Zone, Momin Road, Anderkilla, Boxirhat, Terry Bazar, Kazir Dewry, Chawk Bazar, Dewan Bazar, Muradpur, Sholoshahar Gate No 2, Nasirabad, Jamal Khan, Bahoddarhat, Laldighi, Patharghata, Aturer Depot, Ice Factory Road, Sadarghat, Nalapara, Halishahar, Kattali, Pahartali and East and West Madarbari are now under occupation of hawkers and vendors.
The illegal occupation of footpaths and roads puts the passers-by into a miserable condition. The pedestrians are forced to undergo hassle to find their way through these footpaths and come down to the streets. It also attributes to gridlock to a large extent.
Prof Jahir Uddin, a teacher of philosophy at Chittagong Govt City College, said he has to remain stranded in the jam for 20 to 30 minutes almost everyday now on the road in the New Market area on the way to college and while return home.
“The picture on the footpaths in front of the Station Road, Jamal Khan, CMCH and other areas are shocking. Pedestrians like me often had to take the road to reach our workplaces or homes,” said Dr Matiar Rahman Khan, a surgeon at Chittagong General Hospital at city's dense Anderkilla area.
Naimul Hasan, assistant commissioner (detective branch) of CMP, said we generally allow hawkers to carry their businesses on humanitarian ground during Eid and Puja festivals on a limited scale.
He said action will be taken if they try to take advantage of their compassion and encroach on footpaths indiscriminately.