It’s a difficult path to walk

Pedestrians in the port city cannot walk on footpaths for more than 200 yards at a stretch uninterruptedly. The reason: illegal occupation by vendors, hawkers and shopkeepers.

This correspondent recently visited some of the main roads of the port city. In Nawab Sirajuddaula Road, steel almirah makers were seen spraying colours on their products on the footpath beside the Chawkbazar Post Office. Pedestrians were seen walking on the road avoiding the footpath.

Photo: Rajib Raihan

Salma Akter, a resident of Chattogram College East Gate area, was seen crossing the road to avoid the spray paint.

"All the shops keep their materials on the footpath for which pedestrians have to walk in the middle of the road," she told this correspondent.

Mithu Rudra, a school teacher, said the illegal occupations have been going on for years but nobody did anything about it.

This correspondent found illegal occupations on at least six points of this road, including Dewan Bazar Didar Market area, Jainab Colony and Room Ghata areas.

In Didar Market area, furniture shops were seen to occupy the footpath, while in Jainab Colony, Room Ghata and Sub, groceries, bakery shops and street vendors took over those.

Flower shops had been occupying footpaths in Cheragi Pahar Intersection for years in Momin road. Upon complaints from locals, Shaibal Das Suman, Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) ward councillor of Ward 21, discussed the issue with representatives of flower traders' recently and convinced them to vacate the footpaths.

"I met with flower traders and requested them to shift the vases from the footpath to inside, and they agreed," said Suman.

Appreciating the councillor's initiative, Pampi Barua, a resident of Jamal Khan area, said, "Had the other councillors taken such initiatives to free footpaths in their respective areas, the sufferings of the residents would have stopped."

In Telipotti Road, footpaths were seen to be occupied by sanitary items shops in Chawkbazar, while in Fazlul Quader Road, they were taken over by medicine shops and street vendors in Chattogram Medical College Hospital area.

Photo: Rajib Raihan

A restaurant is currently in operation occupying a large portion of the footpath in front of Chevron Clinical Laboratory in Praborttak area.

"It's getting increasingly difficult to walk on the streets. The city corporation and traffic department should take steps to free the footpaths from illegal occupation," said Sajjad Hossain, a student of Chittagong University.

Contacted, Saleh Mohammed Tanvir, CMP commissioner, said CMP's traffic department conducted regular drives to free the roads from hawkers and vendors. He, however, said to conduct drives on footpaths and impose fines, police need a magistrate's authorisation.

The commissioner also mentioned that despite multiple drives by police, vendors and shop owners were still operating on the same spots from where they were evicted.

Contacted, CCC mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said he would take steps to free footpaths from illegal occupation.

"We will be stricter regarding the issue," he assured.