A cattle and goat market is being held at Putika Bazar in Purbadhala upazila, Netrokona, in defiance of government instructions, it is alleged. Although a signboard announcing a ban hangs beside the bazar, influential people are ignoring it. The union Awami League president is accused of running the market illegally for a long time and collecting market tolls (hasil). Md Khokon Mia, lessee of the upazila's Shyamganj cattle market, has lodged written complaints with the deputy commissioner and the Mymensingh divisional commissioner demanding that the market be shut. Following the complaint, the local administration put up a signboard announcing a ban last Saturday, yet the cattle and goat market carries on right next to it.

According to the written complaint and the upazila administration, four bazars in the upazila, Purbadhala, Shyamganj, Hugla and Hiranpur, are approved to hold cattle and goat markets. But at Putika Bazar in Bishkakuni union, an influential group has long been holding a cattle and goat market illegally by 'managing' the local administration, collecting lakhs of taka in extortion in the name of hasil.

Md Khokon Mia told Jago News that local union Awami League president Abul Kashem Mondol and some of his associates were holding the market and collecting illegal tolls by using dishonest means and managing the union assistant land officer and the upazila administration. He said the naib (assistant land officer) and several politically influential people get a share of the money. Cattle smuggled from India and stolen cattle from various areas are sold at the market, and "we are being harmed", he said.

Bishkakuni union parishad chairman Aminul Islam told Jago News that the market had been held illegally at Putika Bazar for the past four years. He had tried to stop it after being elected, but to no effect, as a dishonest group was running it by managing the local administration.

Asked about the allegations, union Awami League president Abul Kashem Mondol told Jago News: "The land of the bazar is mine. I have registered the land in the market's name. I am not aware that the administration has shut it and put up a signboard. We regularly deposit money through the land office."

Union assistant land officer Md Fazlu Mia Akanda told Jago News that Putika Bazar falls under leasing, though it has no approval to hold a cattle and goat market. Khas collection is being made on the instructions of the upazila administration, he said.

Upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Sheikh Zahid Hasan Prince told Jago News that the khas collection had been deposited in the bank according to the rules. Last Saturday it was stopped on the deputy commissioner's orders and a notice was put up.

Deputy Commissioner Anjana Khan Majlish said the complaint is being investigated and the market has been shut down.

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