Extra toll, or hasil, above the government-set rates is alleged to be collected at Sharatnagar cattle market in Bhangura municipality of Pabna. Local people have also submitted a written application to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) seeking a remedy.

The cattle market sits at Sharatnagar bazar in the upazila every Saturday, where hundreds of cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep are bought and sold. Traders and farmers come from several neighbouring upazilas to buy and sell animals. Under government rules, the market may collect Tk 650 for each large cow or buffalo, Tk 440 for a small cow or buffalo, Tk 300 for a large goat, Tk 200 for a small goat and Tk 150 for a sheep. But the market lessee and his people are alleged to be collecting Tk 100 to Tk 200 above the set rates.

Tk 650 is being charged for small and large cows alike. It is also alleged that, to cover this up, the actual amount collected is not written on the receipts.

Abu Naim Nasir, convener of the municipal Swechchhasebak Dal and one of the complainants, said extra toll had been collected at Sharatnagar cattle market without following the rules for a long time. "We have protested at the last few market days. We want the administration to intervene to stop this extortion in the name of toll collection," he said.

Responding to the allegation, market lessee Fazle Azim said extra toll collection is nothing new here and had been going on since the market began. "We stopped collecting the extra toll from the last market day," he said.

Local lessee Shamsul Alam said: "The money from this extra toll goes into the pockets of everyone, big and small. If we didn't have to pay them, we wouldn't need to do this."

Upazila nirbahi officer Tapas Pal said a written complaint on the matter had been received, and the municipal administrator and Assistant Commissioner (Land) Mizanur Rahman had been instructed to take the necessary action.

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