Moulvibazar footpaths reoccupied within hours of eviction drive
Md. Abdul Qaiyum, Moulvibazar
The district administration conducted an eviction drive to clear illegally occupied footpaths in Moulvibazar town on Tuesday, only for small vendors to reoccupy the walkways hours after law enforcers departed.
The eviction drive was carried out around Tuesday noon along Shamshernagar Road and the Paschim Bazar area on Old Hospital Road. Led by Executive Magistrate Md. Faysal Ibn Idris, the mobile court filed seven cases and fined offenders Tk 5,500 for illegally occupying footpaths, establishing unauthorized auto-rickshaw stands, and violating municipal laws.
Assistant Engineer of Moulvibazar Municipality Md. Anwar Shahadat Bhuiyan and a municipal delegation were present during the operation.
Executive Magistrate Md. Faysal Ibn Idris stated that such drives will continue regularly to ensure uninterrupted pedestrian movement and maintain order and beauty in the municipal area.
However, advance word of the drive allowed many street vendors along Paschim Bazar Road to hastily move their goods before the Magistrate arrived. Within hours of the administration's departure, vendors returned to set up their businesses on the footpaths once again, neutralizing the immediate impact of the drive.
Pedestrians and local residents have demanded stricter and continuous monitoring alongside regular eviction drives by the municipal authority and district administration to permanently keep the footpaths clear.
