‘Massive extortion economy grows around Dhaka’s footpaths’

National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Naseruddin Patwari has proposed introducing a ward-based hawker management model to restore Dhaka’s footpaths for pedestrian use while ensuring the livelihoods of street vendors.

He said simply evicting hawkers would not be enough to keep the footpaths free from illegal occupation. The extortion economy linked to hawking must be dismantled and alternative livelihood opportunities for hawkers must be ensured, he said.

Patwari made the remarks in a post on social media on Thursday night.

He said a massive extortion economy had developed around Dhaka’s footpaths. A 2016 study by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) estimated that annual extortion from footpath-based businesses in Dhaka stood at around Tk1,825 crore. According to the Hawkers Federation, the figure had risen to around Tk3,000 crore in 2024.

“The state owns the footpaths, hawkers conduct business there, but politically influential people and extortionist groups collect the rent,” Patwari said.

He said although the groups controlling extortion from footpaths changed with changes in political power, the underlying problem remained unresolved.

Patwari warned that if hawkers were evicted without taking action against influential groups involved in extortion, the footpaths would be occupied again after a few days.

“The same business could resume with even higher collections. As a result, the cycle of eviction, reoccupation and extortion will continue,” he said.

He also urged authorities to consider the livelihoods of hawkers, saying the sector could be supporting the livelihoods of around 1 million people, including hawkers and their dependants, in Dhaka.

He said hawkers would be forced to return to the footpaths unless alternative employment or suitable spaces for conducting business were provided.

Patwari said although initiatives such as a hawker management policy, digital cards and designated vending areas had been taken, a comprehensive account should be made public showing how many hawkers had been registered, how many had actually received designated business spaces and how much money had been deposited into the government treasury.

As a solution, he proposed forming ward-based hawker management committees comprising elected representatives of hawkers, local residents, businesses and city corporations.

According to his proposal, the committees would determine how many hawkers could operate in each area, the hours during which they could operate and the fees they would have to pay.

He said pedestrian movement, customer footfall and the income realities of hawkers should be taken into consideration when making such decisions.