Waste Still Not Cleared from Cattle Market Site
Photo: Agamir Somoy
Bamboo poles remain tied in place. Cow dung has dried into cakes. Piles of straw and debris lie scattered across the road, this is the current scene at the Diabari cattle market in Uttara, Dhaka. Although the market ended four days ago, the waste has still not been removed. The bamboo structures used for tying livestock have also not been dismantled. On Eid day, the administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation had set a 72-hour deadline to remove the structures and clear the waste. However, the field has remained occupied under the cattle market arrangement for more than 20 days. When the area will be reopened for public use remains uncertain. The open space is one of the few recreational areas for residents of Uttara.
The field at Diabari was taken over by the leaseholder nearly two weeks before Eid-ul-Azha. Under the lease terms, the cattle market can operate for only about a week, including preparation time. The agreement also clearly states that the leaseholder must remove bamboo structures and clean the site immediately after the market ends. However, the leaseholder of Diabari cattle market, S F Corporation, did not comply with these conditions. The owner of the company, Md. Sheikh Farid Hossain, serves as the convener of the Dhaka Metropolitan North unit of the Volunteer Party.
On Sunday at around 5:00 pm, a man named Hamidur Rahman visited the Diabari field with his family. He came with his child in his arms and an umbrella over his head, hoping for a short outing after Eid. However, due to the foul smell and unhygienic conditions, he did not stay long. While walking away, he expressed frustration, saying that leaseholders get away with such negligence due to political connections. He said the recreational space for Uttara residents has been in this condition for three weeks and not a single bamboo pole has been removed. He added that the leaseholder shows no concern and has disappeared after the market ended.
Regarding the matter, Md. M A Zaman, who is associated with the Diabari cattle market lease, said that the 72-hour deadline was incorrect. When asked why the waste and bamboo structures had not been removed even after the deadline, he told Agamir Somoy angrily, “Who said there is a 72-hour deadline? We have time until the 25th of next month (though he later mentioned the 15th).”
He further said, “Everyone has gone home for Eid vacation. After that, I will call the workers and then the bamboo structures will be removed. The market has only been closed for a few days. Why the rush?”
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Md. Shafiqul Islam Khan told Agamir Somoy that the situation would be resolved soon. “We need one more day. Everything will be cleaned by Monday,” he said.
Irregularities were also observed in cattle markets under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). Although bamboo structures at the Hazaribagh cattle market have been removed, they have been left occupying footpaths, causing inconvenience to pedestrians. However, the DSCC administrator said at a press conference on Sunday that all market structures had been removed, though they had not yet been relocated. He also said that leaseholders who failed to follow rules or remove structures would have their security deposits confiscated. Those who severely violated regulations would be blacklisted to prevent them from obtaining future leases.
Urban planners have long opposed cattle markets being set up in playgrounds and public spaces. Both city corporations have previously agreed with this position, stating that such practices would end “from next year.” However, the “next year” never comes, and cattle markets continue to occupy playgrounds and open spaces.
Urban planner Adil Muhammad Khan told Agamir Somoy that the city has less than one-tenth of the required open space, yet these limited areas are repeatedly used for markets, fairs, and even storage of metro rail materials. He said playgrounds are constantly sacrificed. He added humorously that when the prime minister inspected waste removal operations, garbage was cleared quickly. “If the prime minister visits playgrounds, perhaps they will also be protected,” he said.
It is worth noting that although waste from cattle markets has not yet been cleared, post-Eid sacrificial waste has been removed. As of Sunday, Dhaka’s two city corporations have cleared approximately 54,000 tons of sacrificial waste.
