The cattle market on Azampur Primary School premises of Dhaka North City Corporation poses a real nuisance for hundreds of students and teachers of at least 15 educational and religious institutions, plus residents of the city’s Uttara Model Town.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) arranges the cattle market for Eid ul-Azha every year in the Azampur primary school playground and its adjoining areas of Section 6 in Uttara Residential Model Town of the capital.
Teachers of the elementary school alleged that the city corporation set the cattle market every year on the school compound without the school authority’s permission and even violating the High Court order.
Sultan Ahmed, former head teacher of the school told the Dhaka Tribune that the city corporation had been arranging the cattle market on the school premises over the past 20 years.
“We have tried a lot to stop setting up the cattle market on the school compound, but to no avail,” he said.
Schoolteachers Ayesha Begum, Nurul Amin and other assistant teachers echoed the same as Sultan.
Ayesha said, “When the cattle market starts, students and their guardians and above all we feel panic while entering the school.”
“For this reason many students stop coming to school during this time, and also after Eid ul-Azha because of the stink of animal wastes,” she said.
“We have requested the city corporation authorities to stop or set up the cattle market elsewhere, but they did not consider our requests,” she added.
Former headmaster of the elementary school informed this correspondent that some green activists filed a writ with the High Court a few years ago.
Contacted, environmental group – Paribesh Bachao Andolan – Chairman Abu Naser Khan said: “We filed a writ with the High Court against the cattle market on the Azampur primary school premises in Uttara and the HC ordered the city corporation to stop setting up the market in the school ground.”
A visit to the cattle market on Wednesday found that not only students and but also teachers along with residents of section 6 in Uttara Model Town suffer because of the cattle market.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) stopped plying of vehicles across major roads of Azampur, causing unbearable traffic jam across the Uttara Model Town.
The two city corporations, Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation, set up 20 makeshift cattle markets including the one in Gabtali for the forthcoming Eid ul-Azha this year.
DNCC Chief Estate Officer Md Fasiullah told the Dhaka Tribune, “We will take steps against the person who gave permission to the cattle traders to put cattle in the cattle markets before October 11. We have already discussed the matter with DMP, and our mobile court will take immediate action against such illegal practice.”
In reply to a query as to why cattle market was set up on Azampur primary school premises, Fasiullah said: “We will pay money to the school committee if they want.”
“If the school authorities have any objection against the cattle market in the school ground, they can write letter to us, and we will shift the market elsewhere from the next year,” he added.
Answering the question about the writ, the chief estate officer said he knew nothing about that, and they also did not get any letter from the HC.
Shahdat Hossain of Uttara police station (east) said: “We are somewhat lax in coming down hard on the cattle traders putting the sacrificial animals in the markets before October 11 because Eid comes once a year.”