Reza Mahmud :
Meat traders have threatened to work abstention from 1st Ramzan if their demands are not met within 15 days.
Raising an allegation that leasees of Gabtoli cattle market collect additional toll from meat traders, the leaders of Dhaka Meat Traders Association demanded the government’s intervention to stop such toll collection.
“We will announce on Sunday a work abstention from the first day of the holy Ramzan, if the authority does not meet our demands within 15 days,” Rabiul Alam, the association’s Secretary General, told The New Nation yesterday.
He said the government and the Dhaka North City Corporation should protect the traders from giving extra money. He also demanded that the authority must set up a permanent cattle market in the Dhaka South City Corporation area and some quality slaughterhouses in the city.
Alam said they convened a press conference today (Sunday) at Dhaka Reporters Unity at Segunbagicha in the morning from where they will announce their agitation programme.
He also said according to the government’s decision the leasees collected a Tk 50 tax per cow, Tk 70 per buffalo and Tk 15 per goat. But now the government increased the taxes.
As per the enhanced rate of such taxes, the meat traders will have to pay Tk 100 per cow, Tk 150 per buffalo and Tk 35 per goat.
When contacted, some meat traders said they are selling beef at an enhanced rate just to recover the loses because of the extortions.
They also said the hide price has fallen due to the relocation of tanneries from Hazaribagh to Savar.
Alam also said there are five thousand meat traders in the city. But after hiking beef price, meat sales have sharply fallen. As a result, three thousand meat shops have been closed.
The leader also said earlier the government fixed the beef and mutton prices before the holy Ramzan. But since last year the government has not fixed the price.
Meanwhile, the DNCC Chief Executive Officer Aminul Islam said they have collected a list of meat traders in the city. The lease holders of Gabtoli cattle markets are collecting the fixed taxes from the traders.
But Rabiul Alam alleged that the DNCC prepared the list without consulting with them.
Earlier, the association enforced a weeklong strike from February 13 to February 18 to press home their demand.
