Sacrificial animals are being ferried on a boat to a cattle market in the capital as Eid-ul-Azha nears. The photo was taken near Postagola Bridge in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Leaseholders have already started breaching terms and conditions set by the city corporations, with at least two more days left for the makeshift cattle markets to begin in the capital officially.
Locals have complained that the leaseholders already have raised structures on roads hampering traffic, erected a number of arches in crowded areas and dug roads at many spots to set tents and keep cattle much before the scheduled time — four days including the Eid day.
City corporation officials have said that these are clear violations of the terms and conditions of contract.
Setting up markets hampering traffic not only violates the lease contract, but also ignores a High Court order, the officials have said.
The authorities of Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation will allow 22 makeshift cattle markets in the capital for this year to ease the city dwellers’ sufferings in buying sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha.
DSCC chief estate officer Khalid Ahmed said they had set 26 conditions for the leaseholders during the contract — 11 of them saying what not to do and 13 saying what to do.
Locals said the leaseholders could breach the terms as there was no supervision by the authorities concerned.
DNCC chief estate officer of Md Aminul Islam said they already formed mobile courts and instructed law enforcement agencies to ensure that the terms and conditions for the markets were maintained.
During several visits to different markets, various violations of the conditions and a number of irregularities were seen.
The leaseholders of the market near Brother’s Union Club have built a number of arches on roads and set up bamboo structures digging roads and blocked the road near Kamlapur railway station.
In the same way, the leaseholder of the cattle market near Jatrabari Kitchen Market also set up structures on roads but no shed and security facilities for the traders were arranged.
A leaseholder of the market, Abu Bakar Siddik Baker, told New Age that they set up the structures to let people know that there was a market.
Cattle traders Jamerul Sheikh from Jhenaidah and Anower Hossain from Narayanganj at Jatrabari cattle market told New Age that the leaseholders did not manage any shed, leaving the cattle to get wet in rain or endure the sun.
They said they security and shelter were the biggest problems they were facing.
According to the rule, the city authorities can fine the leaseholders an amount or finally cancel lease for any violation of the terms.
Source: New Age
