Risky footbridge still there

Pedestrians and shoppers are at risk even after the closure of a footbridge connecting New Market with Gausia Market in the capital. Indeed, it has been risky for months.

At least 50 floating shops are situated under the footbridge and at the entrances of the four stairways. So people are shopping under the risky bridge while pedestrians are having trouble moving.

Ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, the presence of shoppers is seen in the New Market area throughout the day. As a result, both pedestrians and shoppers are at risk due to this bridge.

On 4 April, the Dhaka South City Corporation closed off the concrete footbridge adjacent to Gate No-4 of New Market as it was at risk.

At the same time, hawkers displaying their wares on the bridge were evicted. The hawkers tried to block the road in protest but police rushed in and brought the situation under control.

Although the corporation put up signboards saying "The footbridge is at risk; people are forbidden from using the footbridge", hawkers would sit on the bridge without paying any attention to it. Both shoppers and pedestrians would use the bridge without heeding this instruction.

Passersby on the road say the closure of the bridge has not solved the problem. Although it is closed for crossing, hawkers are setting up shops in front of the stairs and shoppers are gathering there.

They have demanded that the bridge be demolished quickly and a new one built. The hawkers say they have set up shops under the bridge at their own risk. They evacuate the place when the eviction gets underway.

The city corporation says it has a plan to demolish it and build a state-of-the-art footbridge. As the design has been completed, the rest of the work will start soon.

On Monday, many people were seen using the bridge, ignoring signboards and iron fences put up at the front of the stairs of the bridge.

There were more than 50 shops selling women's wear and shoes at the front and bottom of the four stairways of the bridge. There was also a permanent food shop at the bottom of the stairs.

The old footbridge is in a dilapidated state. In some places, plasters have come off and some of the rods stick out. The iron sheets attached to part of the stairs have decayed. The stairs are broken in some parts.

Abir Hossain, a shopper, told The Business Standard that it was difficult to walk in the area.

"There is no point in keeping such a risky bridge in the midst of a crowd of people. It would have been somewhat risk-free if it had been temporarily surrounded by iron barricades," he added.

Sahera Begum, along with her two-year-old child, was climbing the iron fence at the foot of the bridge.

"They should knock down the bridge if it is risky, but why are they making us suffer? As the other footbridge is far away and there are big crowds there, I am going in through the gap in the fence, ignoring the risks involved," she told TBS.

Nur Uddin, a hawker who sells shoes right in front of the stairs of the risky footbridge, said, "We are here temporarily. If police come and tell us to go, we have to evacuate immediately."

Eid is ahead and so despite the risk, he has set up shop here to earn some money.

Another hawker, Joynal, told TBS, "We have set up shop amid risks just to earn a livelihood. We don't have a specific place to sit, so when the police come and evict us, we move."

"We are planning to demolish the dangerous bridge and build a state-of-the-art footbridge," Marina Nazneen, regional executive officer, Region-1 of South City Corporation, told TBS.

"It will take another six months to complete the rest of the work and begin work on the bridge," she added.

"We closed off the bridge completely and evicted the shops. But as soon as we left, hawkers set up shop in and around the bridge," she said.

Marina Nazneen said, "If the traders of those markets do not cooperate with us, it will not be possible to control them. Hawkers even display their wares in collaboration with the leaders and workers of the educational institutions in the area."

"We are campaigning to avoid accidents but they break the law and sit there again. And if there is any problem, the blame goes to the city corporation," she added.