Dhaka, April 13 -- The Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) has warned that the recent drives to evict hawkers from Dhaka's footpaths will not yield lasting results unless the government addresses urban poverty and dismantles the powerful syndicates profiting from illegal street trade.

In a statement on Monday, the planners' body criticised the current crackdown for lacking a "coordinated plan", arguing that while the moves have offered temporary relief to pedestrians, they remain unsustainable without structural reforms.

The IPD highlighted that the "informal economy" of street hawking is a survival mechanism for the city's poor.

However, the organisation pointed out that the sector is governed by a deep-rooted "political econ...