Nobody may stop a truck carrying sacrificial animals to extort money, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Khandaker Golam Faruq has said, warning that strict action will be taken if such incidents occur.

He said this while presiding over a coordination meeting in the conference room at DMP headquarters on Wednesday (21 June).

The special meeting was held ahead of Eid-ul-Azha on security at the sacrificial animal markets, money escort, counterfeit note detection, overall law and order and traffic management.

The DMP commissioner said that to avoid public suffering, no cattle may be kept outside the market boundaries or on the roads, and no cattle may be brought into a market before 25 June.

Addressing the market lessees, he said no one may force cattle to be unloaded from a truck anywhere, and no one may pull cattle away to take them to a particular market. Traders must be allowed to take their cattle to the market of their choice.

To get police assistance, the commissioner advised traders to hang a banner on the front of the truck stating which market it is heading to.

He said the DMP will provide escorts for traders carrying money from animal sales, and police will give full security for moving the money.

The DMP advised lessees to bring the whole market and the eating places used by cattle traders under CCTV cameras.

A total of 21 cattle markets, permanent and temporary, will be held in the Dhaka metropolitan area this year.

The meeting also discussed road, rail and water transport during Eid-ul-Azha, monitoring passengers' convenience and problems, overall security, law and order and traffic management.

Senior DMP officials, intelligence agencies, Bangladesh Police Headquarters, RAB, River Police, Highway Police, APBn, the Fire Service, Dhaka's two city corporations and various government and private service agencies were represented, along with lessees of the metropolitan cattle markets.

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