Several poultry haats and fish markets including Baneswar haat under Puthia upazila, Kantakhali haat under Kantakhali municipality and Rajabari haat under Godagari upazila are inaccessible due to the dumping of raw wastes near to those haats and markets.
Due to abominable stench of those raw wastes, environment of entire haats is being polluted. The authorities concerned never took steps to remove those raw wastes from the spot.
According to sources, as there is no separate place to slaughter the sacrificial animals, so people sacrifice animals near the flesh markets. As a result, blood, bones and other disposable materials are dumped direct inside the drains of the market.
Traders at Baneswar haat inform that the haat takes place on every Saturday and Tuesday of the week. At the flesh market of the haat, more than 50 cows, buffaloes and goats are slaughtered on every haat day. All the disposable materials of those slaughtered animals are simply dumped beside the flesh market under the open sky, and the disposable materials emit unbearable stench.
Due to dumping of those wastes for a long time there, it has been almost inaccessible for the people to go to the flesh market, vegetable market, betel leaf market and mango market.
Traders Yeadul, Abdur Razzak, Rustom Ali and Tapos Paul at Baneswar Haat informed that even other than the haat day, the daily grocers and stationers continued trades in such unbearable stench. Many traders of the haat are suffering from illness due to such stench and only a few customers were visiting their shops resulting in a very low sale and bargaining.
Shahadul Islam, 65, former Headmaster of Rajabarihaat High School, said the condition of Rajabarihaat flesh market is totally unhygienic because of the absence of cleanliness of disposed materials and wastes from slaughtered animals.
Bacchu, a resident of Maskatadighi village under Kantakhali municipality, said the Kantakhali haat is held on every Friday and Monday of the week. The flesh, poultry and fish markets of the haat are situated at the entrance of the haat. Due to the non-cleaning of dumped garbage for years, it is almost impossible for all customers to enter into those markets. He urged the haat committee to take necessary action to clean the garbage of flesh, poultry and fish markets of the haat to ensure health and hygiene of both the customers and the traders of the haat.
Gazi Sultan, Chairman of Baneswar union and President of Baneswar haat committee, said dust bins would be constructed at both sides of the flesh and poultry markets so that disposable materials are dumped there.