In Ctg, sidewalks are not just for pedestrians

If one accidentally walks on the footpath on any road in Chattogram city, one will almost always find paths unsuitable for walking, and these are mostly occupied by vendors, stalls and even parked vehicles.

For example, when you walk on the footpath next to the diagnostic center on KB Fazlul Quader Road, you often see dozens of motorcycles of medical representatives parked in complete violation of the regulations.

The situation there remains the same from evening to midnight.

“We have to walk on the road at risk because we cannot use sidewalks because motorcycles illegally occupy parking spaces,” said Rashed Hasan, a pedestrian on the road.

Not just this path; in fact, almost every sidewalk in the port city has become largely inconvenient for pedestrians due to illegal occupation and delayed development works.

The correspondent noted that while visiting some of the major arteries of the port city including Nawab Sirajuddaula Road, Momin Road, Telipotti Road, OR Nizam Road, SS Khaled Road, KC Dey Road, Jamal Khan Road, Chittagong College Road and Abdus Sattar Road that vendors, hawkers, shops, beggars and others continue to occupy the paths, making it difficult for pedestrians to walk just 200 meters without any interruption.

On Nawab Sirajuddaula Road, steel furniture shops occupied part of the sidewalk next to Chawkbazar Post Office, maintaining the almirah for painting and finishing work, preventing pedestrians from using the sidewalk.

“We are forced to avoid this part of the sidewalk to avoid paint being sprayed on our clothes or inhaling paint particles,” said Shipra Nandi, a resident of the Chattogram College East Gate area, who was seen passing by the sidewalk carrying groceries from the Chawkbazar market kitchen.

Echoing it, banker Kamal Uddin said that illegal occupation of footpaths has been going on for years but no one has ever taken up the matter.

At six points on the same road – including Dewan Bazar, Deedar Market, Jainab Colony and Room Ghata – the correspondent observed that footpaths were being illegally occupied in one way or the other.

Whether it’s furniture stores, grocery stores or street vendors, everyone seems to want a piece of the path.

Florists were seen moving along Cheragi Pahar junction on Momin Road. On Telipotti Road in Chawkbazar, sanitary items were seen kept on the path.

Riaz Uddin, a student of Chittagong University, who was passing by on Telipotti Road, urged the authorities concerned of Chattogram City Corporation and the traffic department of Chattogram Metropolitan Police to take stringent steps to free the city’s footpaths from illegal occupation.

Contacted, CMP commissioner Hasib Aziz said that they plan to carry out drives soon after Durga Puja to free up the footpaths for pedestrians.

Sheikh Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, director general of CCC, said: “The executive magistrates regularly carry out action against illegal footpath occupiers, but they return within a few days. Nevertheless, the actions will continue.”