Several syndicates, mostly led by leaders of many of the ruling party’s associate bodies, had forced Dhaka South and North City Corporation to reissue tenders for setting up several temporary cattle markets ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha by offering bids much lower than that of previous years.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, DNCC officials confirmed that invitations for tender for three specific temporary cattle markets will be reissued as the first tender did not receive any considerable offer. At the same time, DSCC sources said they will issue invitations for tender for five specific temporary cattle markets.
This year, the two city corporations plan to set up 19 temporary cattle markets in the capital where 11 of them will be under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and eight under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
The two city corporations started the tender procedures this month where DNCC and DSCC opened tender boxes on August 11 and August 12 respectively.
Sources at the two city corporations said as like previous years, a group of leaders and activists of the ruling party and its allied organisations had allegedly formed a syndicate to force the city corporations to award them with the work at a very low price.
They also added that several Jubo League, Swechchasebak League, Chhatra League and other wings of the ruling party formed syndicates and had been dominating the temporary cattle market business for several years.
At the same time, these syndicates also reportedly threatened general bidders and the city corporations’ officials concerned to secure their position over the tender, sources said.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, DSCC Chief Estate Officer Khalid Ahmed said: “According to the city corporation’s rule, a re-tender will be issued if any market tender receives a lower bid compared to the last three years. Several markets received poor bids.”
In DSCC, this year for a total of 11 makeshift cattle markets, 113 schedules were sold but only 39 bidders submitted their offers. The total bid received this year was at Tk2,93,56,884, which was around Tk6,10,00,000 last year.
This year, the highest bid of Tk1,01,01,100 was proposed for the Lalbagh Hazi Delwar Hossain playground by bidder Alamgir Hossain.
The Lalbagh market was arranged this year for the first time instead of the DSCC’s largest Armanitola market which received the highest bid of Tk4,01,11,507 last year, as proposed by Awami League President of the DSCC Ward 69 of Elias Rashid.
The DSCC high-ups informed the Dhaka Tribune that the communications minister earlier announced that any cattle market will not be allowed to be adjoining highways and main roads around the country, and thus the Armanitola market has been canceled this year.
Moreover, the alleged syndicates also brought down the bid for another of DSCC major cattle markets. This year, the Golapbagh market received the highest bid by one Hamidullah at Tk10,10,000, which was Tk61,66,000 last year.
The highest bid for Jigatola-Hazaribagh this year was Tk11,11,010, which is proposed by bidder Masud Rana. Last year, the highest bid was Tk55,34,020 proposed by Zahidul Islam, brother of local AL leader Toriqul Islam. Masud Rana was the sole bidder for the tender.
This year, no time schedule was given by DNCC for setting up a temporary cattle market at Dhaka Polytechnic Institute playground, while the Agargaon-Taltala cattle market will not be set up this year. On top of that, the largest permanent cattle market at Gabtoli was earlier leased out for one year.
Contacted, DNCC Chief Estate Officer Aminul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have a target to earn more money from the cattle markets. Though bidders of several cattle markets offered small amounts as tender, for which we have invited re-tender to obtain satisfactory amounts.”
Answering a question regarding the alleged illegal activities of ruling partymen in this regard, Aminul said he had no idea over the matter and he had not received any complains from any bidder over a bar in submitting their proposals.
He also added that the tender boxes have been kept in seven places – The Commissioner’s Office of Dhaka division, Chief Estate Officer’s office of the DNCC at Banani, and five zonal offices of the DNCC, to ensure participation from all.
In DNCC, this year for a total of 8 makeshift cattle markets, 60 schedules were sold where only 23 bidders submitted their offers. The total bid for this year was at Tk6,65,11,551, which was Tk1,29,66,404 more than last year.
The highest bid this year was Tk2,78,60,000, proposed by bidder AM Zahid for Agargaon cattle market.
Although the total bid had increased, two markets received abnormally low offers while the tender for Dhaka Poly Technique playground received no offers at all.
The highest bid for Uttara Azompur Government School playground and it’s adjoining area is Tk55,00,000, proposed by bidder Absar Uddin Khan, which was at Tk72,00,000 last year as proposed by Jubo League leader Mahbubur Rahman.
The highest bid for free space at Khilkhet Banarupa Housing is Tk62,00,000, which was proposed by M/S Mizan Enterprise. Last year, the market’s highest bid market was Tk1,07,00,000, proposed by a ruling party leader.
The commission for the cattle market leasers would remain at 5% as the previous years.
Meanwhile, an internal feud in the ruling party and rivalry over taking lease of the Agargaon cattle market might have been the reason behind the killing of Awami League leader Jahangir Alam on August 10, said police sources.
Jahangir, 45, a leader of ward no-28 unit of Awami League, was shot dead by some assailants in front of his West Agargaon residence.
A presidential candidate of Ward 28 unit of the party and the running president of Momota Bahumukhi Samabaya Samity, Jahangir wanted to buy the tender of Agargaon cattle market under the name of Chhatra Kalyan, a local welfare organisation.