Registration mandatory for hawkers, rickshaws to operate: Dhaka South administrator
Current national problems could also be resolved through proper leadership and unity, he says
No hawker or rickshaw in Dhaka will be allowed to operate without registration from now on, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Md Abdus Salam said today (23 May).
Specific limits would be set on how many hawkers could operate in areas such as Sadarghat and Elephant Road, he said while speaking at a seminar organised by the Urban Development Journalists Forum at the CIRDAP Auditorium.
Referring to the situation after the political changeover on 5 August 2024, the administrator said the number of battery-run rickshaws and hawkers in Dhaka had increased sharply.
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He said many people displaced by river erosion or unemployment were coming to the capital and operating rickshaws without licences or fees.
"An international-standard city cannot function this way," he said.
The administrator said Dhaka is often described in local media as one of the world's most polluted, garbage-ridden and mosquito-infested cities, but insisted the situation could be improved.
"If citizens perform 50% of their responsibilities and the government or city corporations fulfil the other 50%, achieving full success is possible," he said.
Drawing on past examples, Abdus Salam said Bangladesh had faced severe crises and famine before 1975, but the country recovered quickly through strong leadership and collective efforts.
He expressed optimism that current national problems could also be resolved through proper leadership and unity.
Abdus Salam further said that if elected mayor by public vote, he would transform the capital into a more livable and standard city within two years. He stressed the need for national unity and collective civic efforts beyond political divisions.
Highlighting mosquito infestation as one of Dhaka's major problems, he said mosquito populations could be reduced by 65% through proper measures.
According to him, nearly 99% of mosquitoes breed due to waterlogging, and eliminating stagnant water would help prevent dengue outbreaks.
He also said that a special pre-monsoon mosquito larvae eradication programme has been launched for the first time in Dhaka South. Under the initiative, 36 field workers are conducting daily door-to-door surveys across every ward.
A total of 2,250 houses will be surveyed, with larvae samples being collected and tested to identify high-risk areas in advance.
