Irregularities have been alleged in the leasing of the Chowgachha cattle market in Jashore. Atiur Rahman Lal was the highest bidder but did not get the lease. Instead, the second-highest bidder, Shahidul Islam, has been recommended for it, which would deprive the state of Tk 71 lakh in revenue.

Local traders say that in 2024, under the leadership of the municipality's former mayor Nur Uddin Alam Mamun Himel, the market was cleverly leased in the names of Shahidul Islam and Mizanur Rahman for Tk 80 lakh 15 thousand. The municipality is still owed Tk 9 lakh 58 thousand 750 from that lease. Traders say efforts are under way to lease the Chowgachha cattle market to the same circle again, and they have voiced anger at the municipal administration.

According to the traders, Atiur Rahman Lal was the highest bidder at Tk 2 crore 51 lakh. After this was announced, it was publicised in Chowgachha bazar, in Maheshpur, Kotchandpur and Kaliganj, and in newspapers that he had won the market. But it later emerged that the municipal administration and the evaluation committee were giving the lease to the second-highest bidder, Shahidul Islam, for Tk 1 crore 80 lakh. The government would thus lose Tk 71 lakh in revenue.

Atiur Rahman Lal said the Chowgachha municipal administrator had not told him any reason. "I heard from others that there was apparently some problem with my papers, and that is why I was not given the market. But no reason has been given formally."

Answering a question, he said he had been ill since the tender and was under treatment in Dhaka, which is why he could not contact the municipal administrator.

Tasmin Jahan, Chowgachha municipal administrator and assistant commissioner (land), said: "I don't know anything. There was an evaluation committee; they can say better."

Mostafizur Rahman, a primary education officer and a member of the evaluation committee, said the highest bidder, Atiur Rahman Lal, did not have a TIN certificate. For that reason, the committee recommended giving the market to the second-highest bidder, Shahidul Islam.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.