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Fund collected from rural markets allegedly misappropriated

From Our Correspondent
RANGPUR, Feb 6: Markets in villages of the district are in pitiable condition due to lack of developments by the authorities concerned causing a great inconvenience to the people across the district.
According to a statistics, there are 174 of government registered hats (weekly mar; ket) and bazars in the district. Of them. 51 big hats and bazars are being supervised by the Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO) while the rest 123 hats and bazars are under union parishad's management.
Besides these registered hats and bazars, there are at least five hundred small unregistered hats and bazars functioning in the scattered and remote places catering the need of the both buyers and the sellers of commodities in the district. Conditions of these hats and bazars are also beyond descriptions.
In the current Bengali year, the government has earned a revenue worth about Taka one crore and twenty five lakh by leasing the registered hats and bazars through auction bid. While the registered hats and bazars are not paying any revenue to the government.
A section of local fnfluen-
tial persons and their pet musclemen are reportedly "pocketing" the weekly revenue earnings from these non-registered. hats and bazars of the district, it is alleged.
It may be noted that the hats are vital places for selling of the commodities produced by the fanners and buying of the daily necessities by the consumers. Developments of the rural economy mostly depends on the smooth functioning of these. hats.
Twice or thrice in a week these hats function in the rural areas while in the thana and district headquarters, bazars function all the days long during the week.
Farmers and the traders with varieties of goods carrying on head-load, bi-cycles, carts and other means to come to these hats, and bazars from the distant places and selling them.
With this sort of the transaction of goods among the sellers and buyers, the rural economy develops since the fanners finds at their doorsteps the convenient market places to dis-pose*off their products to the consumers and the traders.
But it is pity that most of
these hats and bazars are in deplorable conditions due to non-spending of rrioney either by the government or local bodies toward their developments.
Tliere are no required sheds, sanitations, drainage, water supply and electricity facilities in these hats and bazars causing immense sufferings to both sellers and consumers, it is alleged.
During the rainy seasons, the sufferings of the consumers and the sellers become worst as the kutcha passage of these hats and bazars are entirely turned to muddy. On the otherhand, in absence of adequate number of sheds both the consumers and sellers find, no shelters to escape from rain and other calamities.
Due to lack of public toilets, people are being compelled to go to nearby crop fields at natures call, creating pollutions to atmosphere around the hats and bazars, it is further alleged.
Inadequate number of tubSwells and other means of water supply and lack of electricity facilities, the hats and bazars goers have been experiencing untold sufferings.
It is most surprising that, although the management of
these hats and bazars are controlled by the revenue arid the local government departments, but nobody Is taking initiatives towards their Improvement as yet.
When contacted the district level officials of the revenue and local government denied their responsibilities in this respect, saying that the Thana Nirbahi Officers (TNOs) and the union parishad chairmen are entrusted to execute all sorts of developmental works of the hats and bazars.
They further pointed out that, 15 per cent amount out of the revenue collected by leasing the hats and bazars permissible to spend for its developments as per standing circular of the local government ministry.
But there are allegations that almost entire fund meant for developments of the hats and bazars which are realised annually from the lease amount, totally being misappropriated by the authority concerned.
Apart from these, the road communications around most of the rural hats are in deplorable state, as a result, the plying of the transports have been facing a great hindrance to and from these hats. it is alleged by the local people.