In a bold move to reclaim the city’s footpaths and ensure safe passage for pedestrians, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is deploying 400 armed Ansar personnel to prevent illegal occupation and extortion—common issues that have plagued the capital for years.

Despite record numbers of eviction drives, footpaths in key areas like Mirpur, Uttara, and Farmgate are repeatedly re-occupied by street vendors, construction materials, and even motorcyclists, leaving little space for pedestrians.

To end this cycle, DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz Ahmed announced the deployment, with an initial batch of 50 Ansar members already being assigned to select zones. By November, all 400 will be stationed across the DNCC’s jurisdiction. The initiative will be funded by DNCC’s own resources.

The administrator said over 100 eviction drives had been carried out in recent months, but illegal occupiers quickly returned. Armed presence is expected to permanently prevent this.

However, behind the footpath chaos lies a deeper problem—systemic extortion. Street vendors claim they are forced to pay daily ‘tolls’ ranging from Tk 50 to Tk 500 to political operatives, a practice that had briefly ceased after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, but has reportedly resumed under new political actors.

“No matter who is in power, we have to pay. The faces change, but the extortion doesn’t,” said one vendor in Mirpur, requesting anonymity.

Urban experts and rights groups have long warned that city officials, police, and political groups are complicit in this entrenched system of corruption.

Addressing concerns about the impact on low-income traders, Ejaz Ahmed said the DNCC plans to introduce holiday markets—designated zones where vendors can legally operate on weekends. “This way, they can continue their business in an organised manner,” he said.

Ejaz also explained that extortion occurs in three stages: setting up makeshift shops, getting illegal utility access, and paying for unofficial night security. “Once footpaths are secured with armed Ansar, these rackets will be dismantled,” he claimed.

Rights activists, meanwhile, stress that sustainable results will depend not just on enforcement, but also on political will and accountability across institutions.

As the city braces for this new initiative, pedestrians hope it marks the beginning of a more walkable, safer, and better-governed Dhaka.