A kitchen market is running a brisk business by taking over at last two lanes of the busy Nabinagar-Kaliakoir highway right beside the Ashulia police station. This has led to constant traffic snarls and random accidents in the area.
It has been alleged that the illegal market is operating under the patronage of the police as the law enforcers collect tolls from the shops on a daily basis.
Locals said a generator connection dealer named Tajul Islam Taju has been running the market. He leases out the spaces and collects the daily fees.
Each of the more than one hundred shops in the market, which has been running for about a year now, is charged Tk30-40 each day as toll, Tk40 for security and electricity and Tk40 for shop space. Moreover, each shop owner had to deposit Tk20-50,000 advance to take the lease.
Sabuj, a shop owner in the market, said Taju usually collected all the money. “When I took the shop I had to give Tk20,000 to Taju as advance. And then each day I give Tk90 for my shop for the Ashulia police, security guard and electricity connection.”
The same information was shared by Arif, Babul and Kauser who also own shops.
When asked, Taju acknowledged the daily charges and said he had to share them with police as well. “The market is actually controlled by Constable Mohammad Firoz Mia alias Cashier Firoz of Ashulia police station. I only collect the money on his behalf,” he said.
Constable Firoz, however, denied the allegation. “I am not involved in the illegal business. It’s not true that I take any money from the shop owners,” he said.
Nazmul Hasan, superintendent of police of Ashulia station said: “I am not aware of such dealings. If any police man is found involved in such crimes, we will take necessary action against him.”
Additional Commissioner (land) of Savar upazila Zubair Ahmed said such a market on the highway was illegal.
“But the responsibility lies with the Roads and Highways Department (RHD). If they want to carry out an eviction drive we will definitely help them. Besides, our regular drives against illegal establishments are going on. ”
However, no official from the RHD was available for comment on the kitchen market.
