The 60 year old heritage of the capital city’s New Market is at stake as a number of shops and floors are being constructed inside the market, tarnishing its unique open-air feature, fear buyers and traders of the market.
General Secretary of Dhaka Mohanagar Jubo League (South) Wahidul Islam Arif has constructed another floor over its central sub-station market, reports banglanews24.com.
Misusing his power, he has constructed the floor and turned the sub-station market into a two-storey building with the aid of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), sources alleged.
The market has a tradition of only accommodating one-storey shops.
The traders’ society and sellers are frustrated with the idea of marring the age old heritage by increasing floors.
Ahmed Ali, owner of Noble Watch at the New Market, said: “I have been doing business in this market for the last 26 years. The market will lose its heritage if floors are increased. It will become crammed like a fish market and buyers will also lose attraction towards it.”
In this regard, Wahidul Islam Arif said: “This market is a resource under the City Corporation, not any individual’s possession. Some shops have been made with the help of the City Corporation.”
It has been found in the file of DSCC that 23 shops on the first floor and one shop on the ground floor of the Baitul Aman sub-station market, adjacent to the main gateway, have been allocated by DSCC.
It has been learnt that rent for each shop has been fixed at Tk20/sq ft since 2009.
The market section allocation committee increased it to Tk25 from April this year.
Moniruzzaman Mia, an official of DSCC, did not make any comment in this regard.
President of Dhaka New Market Traders’ Association Jahir Uddin Mohammad Babar said: “City Corporation is such an entity from which even the Banga Bhaban can be taken on lease! We were successful to prevent the allocation of 152 shops during reign of the then mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Now we have to dig into the matter again.”
The association leader said they will apply to the authorities concerned to declare New Market a heritage site and prevent it from being grabbed.
DSCC Chief Revenue Official Mostofa Kamal said: “New Market is a traditional market. I have been newly appointed and I will look into the matter.”
30 shops have been made instead of 23 in three rows of the triangular market.
Monthly rent for each shop in the market is Tk15,000 and Tk200,000 is being charged as advance money for the newly built shops.
Some shops have been on rent while decoration work is still going on in some of them.
Six more shops, two each on both sides of the main gate, have been built.
Urmila Akter who came from Rampura to shop at the market, said, “We can still shop here in a quiet and open atmosphere, but it will turn into a fish market if more shops are built here and there. We don’t want New Market to lose its age old appeal.”
The construction of the New Market started in 1952 and ended in 1954.
The 440 shops situated in the 14 hectares of land in the market offer a large variety of goods.
Former mayor of Dhaka City Corporation Sadeque Hossain Khoka attempted to build 152 additional shops during his tenure but the attempt went in vain after the present ruling party came into power.
