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In the midnight operation, Dhaka City Corporation bulldozed some 200 shops from the footpaths in the city's Nilkhet area with the help of police, reports UNB.
Police said, as per instruction of the DCC, about 50 policemen launched the demolition operation at zero hours Sunday night and pounded vendor shops of books, cosmetics and CDs set up on the sidewalk from Nilkhet petrol pump to Balaka Cinema Hall.
Officials said the city fathers had issued notice one and a half months back, asking the vendors to close down the kiosks set up "illegally", but to no effect.
Being informed by someone, a number of vendors rushed in and were able to save some of their products.
Gulam Mustafa, another vendor said: "We did not receive any notice from the authorities concerned before demolishing our shops."
Two years ago, the City Corporation had evicted vendors from the same footpaths in front of Bakushah Market, City Corporation Market and Hazrat Shah Jalal Market. But, subsequently, Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka permitted them to run their business, the victims said.
Monday morning, witnesses said about 50 vendors set up their shops on the footpath again without any obstruction from law-enforcing agencies.
The victims alleged every businessman on the footpath is to "pay Tk 15,000 to a vested quarter in addition to Tk 3,000 taken by police".
Also the same night, police pulled down an office of the ruling BNP, which was set up over 4.5 decimals of land at a vegetable market adjoining the New Market.
The affected vendors were now planning to gather under an umbrella and meet with the City Mayor so that they can run their business on the footpath safely.
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