Traffic in Gulistan and its surrounding areas came to a halt as hawkers put up blockade on Tuesday, the first day of Ramadan.
The hawkers began a sit-in in front of Dhaka South City Corporation's (DSCC) Nagar Bhaban before noon, said the police. They later blockaded the North South Road in front of the Golap Shah Mazar.
They launched the programme as they were barred from running business on the footpaths of Bangabandhu Avenue.
The protest subsequently spilled on to the road near Gulistan's Bangabandhu Square around 1:00pm. It brought traffic from Paltan to Sadarghat via Phulbaria and from Gulistan to Motijheel to a standstill.
The hawkers were seen blocking the road from Zero Point to the Abdul Ghani Road facing the Secretariat with WASA's sewer pipes.
"The hawkers have blocked all the roads around Gulistan's Golap Shah Mazar. Vehicles are not moving in these areas," said Shahbagh Police Inspector (Patrol) Abul Bashar.
"We haven't been able to conduct business on the footpaths of Bangabandhu Avenue for the last four months. We've been forced to sit idly as a result," said Md Rubel, a hawker.
"The mayor said that he would announce his decision on whether to allow us to run our businesses today. But we couldn't find him (Sayeed Khokon) in his office. We later took to the streets."
Ordinary citizens have faced severe difficulties during their commutes at the end of office hours at 3:30 pm as a result of the protests. Some were forced to walk home under the circumstances, reports bdnews24.com.
