Illegal makeshift shops shrink highway

Crowded illegal makeshift shops along the road stretching between Gazipur’s Tongi and Chandna on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway hamper movement of vehicles and pedestrians causing traffic congestion.

Small traders and hawkers set up these makeshift shops without any authorisation but at the blessing of local political elites and influentials. The shops sell a wide range of commodities from fruits, vegetables, fish, to cosmetics, clothes, shoes and the crowd gathered there shrinks the highway, alleged locals.

A spot visit to Mawna, Bhabanipur, Jaina, Chandana, Board Bazar, Borobari, Gazipura, Cherag Ali, City Corporation Office, Tongi Station Road by this correspondent found hundreds of makeshift shops set up on both sides of the highway.

The same was the situation at Meerer Bazar, Dhaka Bypass, Konabari, Kashimpur, Chandra intersection on Dhaka-Tangail highway.

The highways passed through Gazipur are very important for trade and communication between the capital and the northern districts.

Locals accuse influential people of creating such a situation as they allow hundreds of hawkers, vendors, to set up their hops beside the highway and collect illegal toll from them.

These influential people also bribe officials of the respective law enforcement agencies so that they can collect toll unabated, they said.

They alleged although the district administration often conducts eviction drives in these areas, the situation remains the same as the vendors rebuild their makeshift shops as soon as the drive is over.

“Over a hundred heavy vehicles pass through the highway in a minute. The makeshift shops clog the busy highway and trigger traffic congestion,” said Nazrul Islam, a resident of Bhabanipur.

Road accidents are also common in the area as the pedestrians have no option but to walk on the highway, said Md Dabir Hossen, general manager of an apparel factory there.

Md Nazrul Islam, a street vendor at Maona, said, “The Covid-19 pandemic had made most of us jobless and now it is the sole source to make our livelihood.”

Like Nazrul, 400 people have set up makeshift shops at Maona bus stand.

Nazrul is happy with his sales as there remains a good profit as there is a huge crowd of customers who want things at a cheaper rate and their operational cost is minimal.

He finds eviction drives mere a professional hazard.

“We reinstall the shops again because we have to maintain for our families,” he added.

Owners of authorised shops along the highway alleged that the makeshift illegal shops are taking away their customers without paying any revenue to the government.

They said their businesses have taken a downwards trend as they have to pay taxes and other revenues.

Traders at Maona area accused local influential Joynal Abedin Rizvi and his associate Shakil of taking toll between Tk 30 to Tk 200 from the vendors illegally and both of them binned the accusation.

Kamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Mawna police station, told The Business Post that they are strictly trying to keep the area free from makeshift shops but their efforts are not yielding the expected result.

“We conduct regular eviction drives to tackle the situation but the shops are set again. We will take punitive measures against the extortionist and the people who are behind this racket,” said the OC.