Cattle haats in Gaibandha, in the north of the country, are accused of hiding information and collecting excess hasil, the toll charged on animal sales. Although the rule is that only buyers pay, sellers are not being spared either. Buyers are given receipts, but the fee box is left blank, and no list of toll rates is displayed anywhere at the haats. Buyers and sellers have called on the administration to step in.

There are 23 permanent and 22 temporary cattle haats in the district's seven upazilas. Notable ones include Dariapur, Lakshmipur, Mirganj, Bharatkhali, Sadullapur, Dhaperhat, Nagar Kathgora, Belka, Shobhaganj and Matherhat. No toll list was seen at any of them. Buyers and sellers are kept in the dark and extra money is taken from both. The lessees' men frequently get into arguments with buyers and sellers while collecting arbitrary sums.

Traders and buyers said money is being taken from sellers as well as excess toll from buyers, even though the district administration has banned collecting toll from sellers.

Azizul Haque, who came to buy a cow at Dariapur haat in Sadar upazila, said the lessee was charging Tk 900 per cow. "I paid Tk 600 and the person I bought the cow from paid Tk 300."

Buyer Abdul Majed Mia, at Mirganj haat in Sundarganj municipality, said he bought a heifer for Tk 35,000. "The lessee's man would not accept less than Tk 900. After I pleaded, he settled for Tk 850. I paid Tk 650 and the seller paid Tk 200."

Tajul Islam, member for ward 4 of Kanchibari union, was returning home on Thursday afternoon after buying a cow for the sacrifice at Belka haat for Tk 1 lakh 40 thousand. The lessee's man took Tk 500 in toll from him and Tk 100 from the seller. With no toll list displayed at the haat, he said, there is no way to know whether they are charging less or more.

Several brokers (traders) at the cattle haats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said angrily that there is no haat where they do not trade cattle, yet they have never seen the lessees take Tk 400. All year round the lessees take extra money from both buyers and sellers in this way, they said, and if anyone tries to pay less the lessees' men use muscle power to collect it.

Asked why the amount box in the toll book is left blank, Niranjan, the challan writer at Belka cattle haat, told Jago News that there is no such box, so it cannot be filled in. "It is not only our receipts that lack that box; it is the same at every haat."

Waheduzzaman Montu, the lessee's representative at Belka haat, told Jago News that displaying the toll list at the haat is not their responsibility but the administration's.

Dariapur haat lessee Ayan Uddin told Jago News that Tk 600 from buyers and Tk 300 from sellers has been charged for a long time, and less from many people. "It is not supposed to be taken from sellers. But the government set this toll 16 years ago. We have been asking the administration to change the rate, but it is taking no action."

Sundarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Nur-e-Alam told Jago News that a meeting was held with the owners of all cattle haats in the upazila on following government rules. They have been instructed to stop excess toll collection, to display the toll list in a visible place and to implement all other haat rules, and there will be monitoring of whether they do so.

Gaibandha Sadar UNO Md Shariful Alam told Jago News that tolls have been fixed for the sale of 125 kinds of goods, including livestock. The maximum toll is Tk 400 for each cow or buffalo and Tk 150 for each goat or sheep. For livestock only buyers pay the toll, not sellers. He added that Dariapur haat lessee Ayan Uddin has been served a show-cause notice for collecting excess toll.

Gaibandha Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Oliur Rahman told Jago News that UNOs have been instructed to run mobile courts round the clock and take action so that no excess or illegal toll is collected at any cattle haat.

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