The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) yesterday launched coordinated initiatives to ensure pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, regulate activities of hawkers and rehabilitate them through structured systems and digital identification.
At DSCC’s Nagar Bhaban auditorium, Administrator Md Abdus Salam formally inaugurated hawker rehabilitation activities under the proposed “Dhaka City Hawker Management Policy–2026”.
Under the new policy, QR code-enabled digital ID cards and specific locations with operating hours have been designated to hawkers across key areas, including Gulistan, Motijheel, New Market, and Shahjahanpur. Some locations will operate as daily markets, while others will function as evening markets between 6:00pm and 10:00pm.
As part of the initiative, 100 hawkers from the Gulistan area were issued digital IDs and relocated to the link road adjacent to Ramna Bhaban.
Md Salam said the initiative, taken under the prime minister’s directive, aims to create safer, more organised streets while improving the livelihoods of marginal communities through a humane, transformative effort.
DSCC CEO Md Zahirul Islam said the digital ID system would ensure transparency and accountability while allowing traffic police to easily verify vendors’ legality and assigned locations, adding that at least 5–6 feet of sidewalk space must always remain open for pedestrians.
Meanwhile, DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan inaugurated a parallel initiative at DNCC Nagar Bhaban by distributing digital ID cards to 202 hawkers operating in Mirpur-10, Mirpur-1, and Mirpur-2.
Of them, 102 are being relocated from Mirpur-10 to Mirpur-13 WASA Road, while the remaining 100 will move to an open space near Gabtoli kitchen market. Authorities confirmed that a total of 829 hawkers have been listed, and the rest will be brought under the system in phases.
DNCC officials said the relocation process was finalised after consultations with the hawkers and with support from law enforcers. A monitoring committee, comprising DNCC and police representatives, will oversee implementation, while plans are under consideration to establish a dedicated “Hawkers’ Market” in the future.
Both city corporations stressed that hawkers must operate only in designated areas and are prohibited from building permanent structures and warned that eviction drives will be conducted against unlicensed or non-compliant vendors after a limited transition period.
Officials also confirmed that no markets will be allowed on playgrounds, school grounds, or near places of worship, while law enforcers have been instructed to strictly prevent illegal extortion from hawkers.