'Short-sighted' rehabilitation may worsen hawker problem: IPD

The Institute for Planning and Development has expressed concern over the government's recent initiatives regarding hawker management in the capital. Allowing hawkers to set up on footpaths and roads without a concrete plan and effective analysis could create even greater chaos and public suffering in city life, the organisation said.

The concern was raised in a statement signed by IPD Executive Director Professor Dr Adil Muhammad Khan on Friday, May 15.

The hawker problem has become a major challenge for pedestrian movement, safety and urban order in almost all urban areas across the country, not just in Dhaka, the statement said. Therefore, a coordinated and realistic hawker management policy should be formulated for the entire country rather than making fragmented decisions.

IPD believes that allowing hawkers to set up by simply marking spots on footpaths and roads without proper planning after formulating the policy is highly imprudent. This has again narrowed the space for pedestrians that had recently improved in some areas.

The legal basis and justification for allowing businesses to occupy footpaths and roads is also questionable, as it obstructs pedestrian and vehicular movement. Additionally, those operating businesses through regular taxes, fees and licences are facing unfair competition.

According to IPD, the proposed policy's condition of leaving only 5 to 6 feet for pedestrians is not consistent with modern urban planning. International standards require wider footpaths in commercial and densely populated areas.

Allowing hawkers to set up very close to metro stations, bus stops and major intersections is also a risky decision. International urban planning typically prohibits hawkers within a certain distance of such areas.

However, IPD views some initiatives positively, such as night markets, holiday markets and declaring hawker-free zones. The organisation also welcomes the proposal to bring genuinely marginalised hawkers under the social safety net.

IPD said that institutionalising the current situation through policy could create an even larger structure of encroachment and extortion in the future. The organisation emphasised political will, citizen participation and sound urban planning for a humane and long-term solution.