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Move to move a wholesale market

But relocation of Karwan Bazar to Hatir Jheel will 'take a long time'

MIZANUR KHAN
The government has decided to relocate Karwan Bazar, the country's largest wholesale vegetable market to a six-acre area around the proposed Tongi Diversion Link Road in the Hatir Jheel.
Three new wholesale markets will also be set up in the capital.
Although the decision was taken about a year ago it was reviewed recently in an inter-ministerial meeting with minister for Local Government Rural Development and Cooperative (LGRD) Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in the chair.
Earlier the commerce ministry had proposed to set up six wholesale markets at Hatir Jheel, Khilgaon, Lalbagh, Tongi, Aminbazar and Jatrabari.
"Implementation of this project will take a long time. The planning commission has just approved it and we have to wait for the Prime Minister's approval. After that, construction work of the Panthapath-Rampura bridge will start.
Then the relocation of Karwan Bazaar could begin," said an engineer of DCC.
But the plan has been critricised by environmentalists, city planners and residents.
Experts say that if Hatir Jheel, which is a waterbody, is filled up then the city will face waterlogging problems. A source in the Public Works Department (PWD), requesting anonymity said: "If the plan goes ahead, all roads in that area will go under water."
But planners and engineers believe that keeping the provision of a canal for the free flow of water could solve the problem.
City planner Dr. Nazrul Islam supported the relocation project of the vegetable wholesale market from Karwan Bazar saying that Karwan Bazar has been declared as the second commercial zone after Motijheel. So a vegetable and fish market can't remain here.
" This area has to be modernised, A city like Dhaka can not afford a wholesale market at Karwan Bazar," said Dr.
Islam.
But as there are numerous land disputes and court cases, the authorities proposed to stop the process of setting up the wholesale market at Hatir Jheel temporarily.
Mayor Sadeq Hossain Khoka meanwhile objected to the planned wholesale market at Lalbagh as he felt that there was not enough free space in that part of the city. The mayor instead proposed than an alternative place is found.
Many at the meeting objected to setting up a wholesale market in Khilgaon as traffic congestion is already acute there.
To determine the problems in Hatir Jheel, Lalbagh and Khilgaon and find out their solutions, a high level committee has been formed headed by the commerce secretary. Members of the committee are Joint Secretary of Local Government Department, Joint secretary of works and Land ministry, head of revenue department of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), Chief town plan-
ner of Rajuk, Director General of Bangladesh Railway and chairman of BADC.
The meeting asked the committee to submit a report on the development in the next inter-ministerial meeting.
In 1994, the BNP government had vowed to relocate the Karwan Bazar wholesale market but the process was stalled due to lack of cooperation between different government bodies.
Karwan Bazar was declared as a commercial area almost ten years ago that has prompted mixed reaction from the people living and doing business in the area.
A police officer of Tejgaon thana requesting anonymity said: " This is a place where some of the most wanted criminals operate under the direct blessing of top political leaders. Moreover there are dozens of outlets for various kinds that do drug business," he told Star City.
'If Karwan Bazar wholesale market is relocated then the rate of crime will definitely decrease," said the law
enforcer.
Asadur Rahman, a vegetable seller criticised the decision saying their business will be in danger if the proposal is carried out. " We have to take our goods far away which will shoot up our overall expenditure," he said.
Dr. Islam said: "The project will beautify Hatir Jheel area. But we have to protect the water body. If the project can include water body and the road together there is no problem with implementation of the project.
'The jheel (wetland) is a natural retainer for water, which has to be protected. An extremely populated city like Dhaka needs at least 25 percent wetland for healthy ecological balance," he said.
Officials in DCC said businessmen of Karwan Bazar would be relocated in the new wholesale markets.
The DCC will work to set up the wholesale markets under the Ministry of Local Government and later on these markets will be leased out. Each market will have a warehouse.