Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Meat Sellers’ Association and Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Sellers’ Association will begin selling red meat from today (Sunday).
Bangladesh Meat Sellers’ Association and Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Sellers’ last week called for an indefinite strike in the capital to press home their demands.
“We are going to sell red meat from Sunday,” Rabiul Alam, secretary general of Bangladesh Meat Sellers’ Association told The New Nation yesterday.
“However, we’ll sit in separate meetings with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed at his secretariat at 11 am and the DNCC officials at 2pm on Sunday to discuss our four-point demand. If the meetings end inconclusively, we’ll go on an indefinite strike across the country to realise our demands,” said Rabiul.
He said after the meeting they will announce whether they will continue their strike or not or announce the next course of action at 5:00pm today (Sunday) in a press briefing at Gabtoli office.
He also threatened of going on a countrywide indefinite strike if their demands are not met at Sunday’s planned meetings with the Commerce Ministry and the DNCC.
Rabiul Alam said Kala Moiza and leaseholder of Gabtoli cattle market are taking preparation not to issue hasil (voucher) to the meat traders and also threatened to attack them.
“We are now in panic as Kala Moiza and leaseholder of Gabtoli cattle market issued threat to us that they will not give us hasil. We are requesting the authorities concerned to ensure our lives’ security,” he said.
He also claimed that they will be able to sell beef at Tk 300 per kg if their four-point demands are met.
“If our demands are met and the hassles in importing cows from India are removed, we’ll be able to sell beef at Tk 300 per kg or even less,” Rabiul Alam said.
The demands include stopping charging of extra money from traders by the Gabtoli Cattle Market lessee, money-laundering to India through Hundi, shifting of tannery industries from Hazaribagh to Savar and withdrawing of the DNCC chief executive officer and chief estate officer.
Rabiul alleged that Gabtoli Cattle Market lessee Lutfar Rahman has been taking extra money from the cattle traders.
“In connivance with the DNCC chief executive officer and chief estate officer, he charges Tk 200-5000 per head instead of government-fixed Tk 50,”” he said.
The BMTA secretary general also alleged that crore of taka are being smuggled to India through Hundi by a syndicate, led by Kala Moijya.
“We’ve to give Tk 6000-7000 as commission for each of cattle to the syndicate members,” he said, adding that the government is losing revenue from it.
Besides, meat traders do not get fair prices for their rawhide of not shifting tannery industries from Hazaribagh, he added.
