Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) expresses its deep concern over the commencement of City Footpath eviction drive from 1 June 2015.

According to media reports, city footpath eviction drive would be conducted by Dhaka city Corporations from 1 June 2015. This eviction would be conducted on the footpaths at Gulistan and Farmgate from June 2015 and it will gradually take place throughout the whole city from July 2015.  ASK is concerned over this announcement by the Dhaka City Corporation.

We understand that through this eviction drive, the hawkers and micro businessmen are going to be evicted without any alternative arrangement. Such kind of eviction drive without taking any prior alternative arrangement or rehabilitation plan would impact severely on their livelihoods. It must be remembered that these hawkers and micro-businessmen are self-employed without any dependency on the government. Now it is the responsibility of government to initiate alternative arrangement for them before the eviction.

Although it is necessary to evict illegal occupants from important roads, however it is also necessary to rehabilitate them before such eviction. We hope, Dhaka City Corporation authority would ensure the rehabilitation of hawkers and micro-businessmen before conducting such eviction drives. We demand necessary steps to be taken and not to evict them without rehabilitation or ensuring alternative arrangement.