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DCC market a refuge for day labourers

The authority for the market applied to over fifty different government departments and offices over the last few years including the Prime Minister's office and the Secretariat. But necessary measures were never taken to rectify the matter, though some officials from DCC visited the spot.

Syed Tashfin
The remaining section of the large space, allotted forthe market in Kawran Bazar, has been a makeshift day labourer's hostel forthe lastfewyears.
Originally the plan for the market in the specified area was made around 1990 and the construction reached completion around 1996. There are altogether 105 rooms that were to be sold by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) for the market, but of these, 70 stalls were sold and the rest still remains unsettled. Of these 70 stalls, the DCC Zone 6 office occupies a portion.
"Due to all these reasons, the market has not come into fruition ever since," said Md. Babul Miah, one of the guards, who has been involved with 'the proposed market' since 1996.
Reportedly, the authority for the market applied to over fifty different government departments and offices over the last few years including the Prime Minister's office and the Secretariat. But necessary measures were never taken to rectify the matter, though some officials from DCC visited the spot.
"There were some DCC personnel, who paid us a visit and promised a speedy solution to our problems," said Mohsin Sarder, another guard of the area. But these promises, as the saying goes, were meant to be broken, is the complaint from the owners and the guards of'the proposed market'site.
The owners of the place, who are also the owners of the kawranbazar
aarot (warehouses) downstairs, have been experiencing difficulties in paying salaries to the six guards over the last seven years. Due to such financial problems and other constraints, the owners have permitted the guards to use the otherwise 'empty' space for 'the proposed market' as a means of livelihood. Therefore, the guards have taken liberty to rent these 'spaces' to the porters and so on. The spaces are rented at a price of Taka 4 per night.
"This is a peaceful place where we can sleep, even though the temperature during summer makes it unbearable at times," said Latif Barker, a labourer who has been an avid renter of such a space.
But problems have evolved in the last seven years, with the building itself. The owners cannot repair the place due to their financial insolvency. Parts of the roof are already falling off and on the sides, the rainwater has dampened the foundation, creating the collapse of the
roof imminent at any moment.
"If there is an earthquake or any such disaster, this building would be the first to collapse and thus claim the lives of the 200 people who usually sleep here,"said Babul.
It is reported that over 200 people sleep in these empty spaces on a daily basis now.
The aarot, too, housed downstairs and the businesses around the building would be affected by the fall-out caused in case of such a disaster.
"There would be organizing a committee appointed within the next two weeks to decide on the Kawranbazar case," said Md. Mofizul Islam Patowary, the Deputy Chief Revenue Officer, Marketing Division of the DCC, in this regard.
The committee would also decide on the transfer of the zone-6 office of DCC, from the area and so improve the possibilities of creating an environment for the market.