Footpath eviction drive triggers clash between hawkers, Ansar in Ashulia
Police removed hawkers from the road after they blocked the highway following a clash with Ansar members.
A footpath eviction drive in front of the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ) in Savar's Ashulia, triggered a clash between hawkers and Ansar members yesterday morning (27 September), followed by a blockade of the Nabinagar-Chandra highway.
The clash took place around 9am in front of the DEPZ gate on the Nabinagar-Chandra highway, according to DEPZ authorities and witnesses.
The hawkers later blocked the highway around 11am, disrupting traffic on both sides of the road. Police from Ashulia police station arrived around noon and removed them from the road, bringing the situation under control.
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DEPZ authorities and witnesses said hawkers had long been occupying the footpath in front of the export processing zone with makeshift shops.
They said the shops had been causing inconvenience to workers entering and leaving DEPZ factories and raising security concerns. Local and foreign investors and buyers visiting the industrial zone had also complained about the situation, they added.
On 12 September, the Roads and Highways Department conducted an eviction drive to clear the footpath. Notices and banners were subsequently put up, warning hawkers against setting up shops there.
However, some hawkers continued to operate makeshift shops in the area.
Around 9am yesterday, DEPZ authorities began marking the footpath boundary to prevent further encroachment and prepare the area for renovation.
Hawkers gathered at the spot and got into an argument with DEPZ Ansar members. The situation later escalated into a chase between the two sides, with both sides allegedly throwing bricks and stones.
A hawker, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that Ansar members had attacked the hawkers, injuring several of them.
"The Ansar members are removing all the hawkers. They attacked our people, and several were injured. We want justice from the prime minister," he said.
Another hawker, Sharif, said they were protesting because they wanted to continue operating their shops to support their families.
"The footpath work is not being done. We want to run our shops and earn a living, but we are not being allowed to set up our shops. That is why we came onto the road. We all run our shops together and support our families through this business," he said.
DEPZ Executive Director Mohammad Abdul Jabbar said the illegal shops had been creating problems for workers, investors and buyers visiting the industrial zone.
"There was an instruction from our administrative ministry, the Prime Minister's Office, to remove the hawkers from in front of DEPZ," he said.
He said around 100,000 workers enter and leave DEPZ factories every day and the illegal shops had been causing inconvenience and increasing the risk of accidents.
"After we informed the Roads and Highways Department about the issue, they conducted an eviction drive on 12 September and cleared the area," he said.
Jabbar said notices and banners were subsequently put up several times to prevent hawkers from returning, but they continued to set up makeshift shops.
"Today, when we tried to mark the footpath to keep it free from encroachment and carry out renovation work so that the public and workers can move freely, the hawkers obstructed us. They also blocked the road. Police later arrived and brought the situation under control," he said.
