Natore municipality charging for shop allocation in non-existent market

There are complaints that the Natore municipality has accepted bank drafts worth at least Tk50 lakh from businessmen, for shop allocation in Bahadur Shah Park market, yet to be built in Natore. There are already some tea stalls and shops at the park premises. Local shop owners told the Dhaka Tribune that the Natore municipality called for a tender, for allocating 21 shops to interested parties, in a three-storey market that is yet to be built adjacent to Bahadur Shah Park grounds. Responding to the tender invitation, businessmen and traders submitted bank drafts. When approached for comments, Natore municipality Mayor Uma Chowdhury claimed that the park grounds are falling prey to land grabbers, and the initiative to build a market was taken to free the park from illegal occupation. The mayor also confirmed that the highest bidders, selected through an open tender process, had paid 50% of the payment for shop allocation through bank drafts. The traders will pay the rest of the amount after taking possession of the shops. Uma Chowdhury pointed out that if a court order prevents construction of the market, the bank drafts will be returned to those who submitted them. Executive Engineer of Natore municipality Rezaul Islam Shaheen said the budget for market construction has been set at Tk93 lakhs, and bank drafts amounting to Tk5 to 12 lakhs have been accepted from each party seeking shop allocation. However, local lawmaker Shafiqul Islam Shimul criticised the municipality's decision of building a market in the Bahadur Shah Park premises, which is a historic landmark. He urged the municipal authorities to implement beatification projects to improve the park, instead of building a market there. Biman, a local trader, told the Dhaka Tribune that there was an initiative to build a mosque on the Bahadur Shah Park premises back in 2002. To prevent construction of the mosque, the then municipality chairman Qamrul Islam built a small market there. "The park grounds have been shrinking ever since the market was built there," Biman added. Another local resident named Sumon, recalled of seeing swings, slides and an Ashok tree in the park premises when he was a boy. He said that the park area being taken over by shops, and the adjacent Laldighi Lake is being filled up by land grabbers, systematically destroying the natural beauty of the area. Several local people pointed out that if the park could be transformed into a tourist spot with speedboat facilities in the adjacent Laldighi Lake, it would bring in significantly more revenue for the municipality.