No space under the metro rail station or on the roads at Diabari in Uttara, Dhaka, was leased for a sacrificial animal market, said Mir Shahe Alam, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives.
"No place under this metro rail station where we are standing, or anywhere around it, was leased for the market," he said. "Two days ago some traders took shelter under the station with their cattle because of sudden heavy rain. The administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation then came himself, removed the animals from the road and took them to the designated market area."
He made the remarks on Wednesday (27 May) while visiting the Diabari cattle market.
Magistrates on duty round the clock
The state minister said magistrates were on duty at the site at all times. "An attempt has been made to embarrass the government by making a three-day-old video go viral. Come and see for yourselves: animals are being bought and sold inside the market," he said.
He said some places had been dirtied when animals came onto the road, but cleaning had started that morning.
Mir Shahe Alam said city corporation staff and members of the law enforcement agencies were working at the site round the clock. "No animals will be traded around the metro rail. We have removed them, and no such activity will be allowed in future," he said.
"We have said repeatedly that the market will not spill beyond its set boundary. Whenever the matter came to our notice, we acted. We also need the public's co-operation," he added.
City administrator's account
Md Shafiqul Islam Khan, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, said some traders had stationed their cattle there when it rained. "We removed them immediately. When we learnt they had set up again, we came back to the spot at 1:30am and took action. Cleaning has been going on since this morning," he said.
"We did not lease this place. We have asked for action against those who tried to run activities there, and we have also spoken to the leaseholders about it," he said.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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