Seventeen temporary sacrificial cattle markets will be held in various parts of the capital, Dhaka, for the coming Eid-ul-Azha. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) have already finalised the leases for 15 of them, and have received bids several times higher than the government-set prices.

Officials at DNCC and DSCC said eight temporary markets will be held in DNCC areas and nine in DSCC areas this time. DNCC has finalised leases for eight and DSCC for seven; the leases for the remaining two are being processed. In addition, sacrificial animals will be sold at DNCC's permanent Gabtoli cattle market and DSCC's Sarulia cattle market.

Subject to the sighting of the moon, Eid-ul-Azha may fall on 29 June. Under city corporation rules, the markets are supposed to open three days before Eid. But at the markets whose leases have been finalised, leaseholders have reportedly already begun putting up bamboo poles, stringing awnings and other work.

DNCC's estate department handles the leasing and supervision of the sacrificial cattle markets. According to the department, DNCC chief estate officer Mohammad Mahe Alam invited tenders for eight cattle markets on 2 May. Sale of tender documents in the first phase ended on 15 May, and the next morning, 16 May, the tenders were submitted and opened in the afternoon.

According to the tenders, the government price sought for DNCC's Bhatara (Saidnagar) market was Tk 1 crore 13 lakh 70 thousand 267, and the highest bid was Tk 3 crore 70 lakh. The government price for the market on vacant land in the Bou Bazar area beside sectors 16 and 18 at Uttara Diabari was Tk 1 crore 20 lakh, and the highest bid was Tk 6 crore.

For the market on vacant land from Block B to Block H of Badda Eastern Housing, Aftabnagar, the lease price sought was Tk 1 crore 51 lakh 6 thousand 60, and the highest bid was Tk 1 crore 61 lakh. DNCC sought Tk 1 crore 35 lakh 34 thousand 560 for a market on vacant land at Eastern Housing in Mirpur Section 6, and the highest bid was Tk 1 crore 36 lakh 16 thousand 786.

The government price sought for the market on vacant land beside the 40-foot road at Bosila, Mohammadpur, was Tk 29 lakh 75 thousand, and the lease went for Tk 2 crore 20 lakh. DNCC sought Tk 60 lakh 63 thousand 200 for a market on the playground of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, which was leased for Tk 60 lakh 70 thousand.

DNCC sought Tk 24 lakh 50 thousand for the cattle market at Kawla Shialdanga, and the highest bid was Tk 1 crore 37 lakh 500. For the market on vacant land of the Rahman Nagar residential project at Kanchkura Beparipara in Ward 44, the government price sought was Tk 5 lakh 31 thousand 60, and DNCC got a top bid of Tk 16 lakh 50 thousand.

DNCC public relations officer Maqbul Hossain told Jagonews that five to seven schedules were sold for each temporary market this time, making the bidding for every market highly competitive. As a result DNCC received its highest total (Tk 17 crore 1 lakh 37 thousand 286). DNCC has never before earned this much revenue from leasing markets, and it will stand as a milestone in DNCC's history, he said.

DSCC invited tenders to lease seven temporary cattle markets in two separate notices on 27 and 30 April, and the schedule boxes were opened on 23 May. According to the tenders, the government price sought for the open area next to the Institute of Leather Technology College was Tk 2 crore 19 lakh 47 thousand 692, and the highest bid was Tk 4 crore 51 lakh 51 thousand 551. DSCC sought Tk 1 crore 48 lakh 75 thousand 922 for vacant land around the Postogola crematorium ghat, and received a highest bid of Tk 2 crore 81 lakh 50 thousand.

Tk 1 crore 72 lakh 9 thousand 100 was sought for vacant land next to Meradia Bazar, and the highest bid was Tk 3 crore 1 lakh. Tk 2 crore 99 lakh 45 thousand was sought for vacant land next to Little Friends Club and Kamalapur Stadium, but so far no bid above the government price has been received, so that market's lease has not been finalised.

DSCC sought Tk 3 crore 14 lakh 82 thousand 278 for vacant land next to Donia College in Jatrabari, and the highest bid was Tk 4 crore 71 lakh 780. Tk 2 crore 48 lakh 59 thousand 120 was sought for vacant land next to the Dholaikhal truck stand, and that market was leased for Tk 4 crore 53 lakh 59 thousand. Tenders were invited at Tk 39 lakh 32 thousand 600 for vacant land next to Rahmatganj Club in Lalbagh, and the highest bid was Tk 56 lakh 15 thousand. The government lease price for vacant land next to Amulia Model Town was set at Tk 29 lakh 28 thousand 252, and the highest bid was Tk 50 lakh.

DSCC also recently invited tenders for a market on vacant land around Maitri Sangha Club in the Khilgaon Rail Gate Bazar area of North Shahjahanpur. Its lease has not yet been finalised.

DSCC estate officer Md Moniruzzaman told Jagonews he hopes the leases for DSCC's remaining two markets will be finalised soon. DSCC is making every preparation so that animals can be bought and sold smoothly at all the markets, he said.

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