Markets in Kaliakair Upazila of Gazipur is leased out every year through tenders for Kaliakair Hat-Bazar and Municipal Terminal. The work was completed by inviting tenders from the Kaliakoi Municipality. In this, the highest bidder participating in the tender is empowered to collect the rent of the Kaliakair haat-bazar and municipal terminal for one year. Some same people, completed these rules and took over the Kaliakair market and municipal terminal. Which has been in their hands for the last few years.
The oldest market in Kaliakair Upazila is Kaliakair Bazar, which can be found in the Upazila terminal. All kinds of buyers and sellers from around come to this market for shopping. A small market is held here 6 days a week, but a big market is held here on Fridays. Apart from the people who live in Kaliakair, people from different parts of the country come to this market to buy and sell. Every day, hundreds and thousands of people gather in the big bazaar every day. Six days a week, the raw market takes over the old Dhaka-Tangail highway. Due to which, traffic congestion is created on the road. Seven days a week, fruit, onion, banana, makeshift straw, shoe and cosmetic shops occupy both sides of the road from the four road junction of the highway to the National Bank. From whom large sums of money are taken. There is always a traffic jam on this road. The administration has repeatedly lifted the shops, but due to unknown reasons, the shops are established on the road again. The big bazaar of the week is Friday, on which day thousands of people throng here.
There is no place to step. Because thousands of small and big temporary shops are installed on both sides of the road by occupying the sidewalk. The old Dhaka-Tangail highway was occupied by fish and meat shops. From each shop 100 to 500 taka is collected as rent. Around 80-90 shops sit here. 200 to 300 shops are set up 6 days a week from the head of four streets of the market to Fulbaria road, 300 to 400 shops from the head of the market to Swarna Patti and thousands of temporary shops are set up on Fridays. From which 200-300 Tks were taken away. The shopkeepers demanded extra money from them.
Inside the market, a wooden market is set up in the grounds of Dak Bungalow. 500 taka per shop is taken from hundreds of wood traders there just for sitting. And if the person who buys wood from here buys wood for a thousand Tk, a fee of 100 taka is collected. Again, 50 taka per van and 100 taka per pick-up are taken separately. Therefore, there is a fight with the buyers over the subscription money.
There are about 200 to 300 shops here. Because of this market, the movement of the worshipers who offer Friday prayers in the nearby mosque is different. Most of the shops are set up in the entire campus from the entrance of Ghulam Nabi Pilot High School. In addition, temporary shops are also set up along the nearby roads. However, Ghulam Nabi's ground is considered as the main market for ages. And the rest of the place is on both sides of the road. These are mainly road lands. Around 10,000 shops are set up here along with a school and Oligli road. Huge sums of money are collected from these temporary shops in the name of khanjna. 200 to 500 taka is charged per shop. Ghulam Nabi Pilot High School ground has been set up with temporary cloth shops, village desiyo fruit shops, poultry, pigeons, rice, mustard, cane and bamboo furniture, made cots, chowkis, chairs, tables and some temporary hotels.
The people of Jasim, the lessee, are extorting huge sums of money from these shopkeepers. It has been seen that Jasim's people are taking money from small and big vehicles with tokens in front of everyone at the head of Kaliakoi to Fulbaria road. CNG, three wheelers have to give 20 Tk, small vans have to give 60 taka, Private cars, Laguna, Mahindra, Pick-up have to give 50 Tk. Also, Jasim is extorting large sums of money from small and big vehicles on the road from Kaliakair to Dhamrai in the Upazila’s Saheb Bazar area.
The municipal terminal leased from the Kaliakor Municipality is basically limited to Kaliakor Bazar Two Truck stands. And the locals have been using the ground of Golam Nabi Pilot High School as a market for ages. Also, an additional fee of 20 Tk is being collected from each shop in the name of cleaning the market. A separate token is required for this too.
The transport driver said that you have to pay a one-time fee to come and go on this road. If the money is not paid, the car is parked forcefully. We truck drivers pay a heavy toll here. Shahin, the truck driver, who means tree trunks, says that if the car carries trees or sticks, they charge 200 to 500 taka. If you don't pay, it causes a lot of problems.
Jasim Uddin, the lessee, said on the phone, I have taken the lease with the roads. On the road my three teams raised money. My man withdraws money keeping everything in order. When asked about how much money is raised per shop and per car, he said, there is no specific rule. Ten, twenty bags are taken up to 5 hundred taka. When asked how many shops are set up, he said without giving a correct answer, it will be two to three hundred. When asked about the fact that gambling lottery has to be installed in the market, he said that it is not a card game, it is how gambling is played. It's a lottery game. It is set up to manage everyone.
Kaliakor police station (OC) investigation Abul Bashar said, they withdraw money there with municipal tokens. I don't know how they collect money.
Kaliakair upazila executive officer Tazwar Akram Sakapi Ibn Sajjad said, we have repeatedly conducted operations to protect the footpath. I will raid again. We want our sidewalks to be free of encroachment. Our campaign will continue. When asked about the running of joar lottery in the market, he said that there will be no joar in the bazaar, legal action will be taken if the lessee does so.
