Anisul Islam Noor :
The initiative to relocate 70 percent shops from Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar kitchen market to Aminbazar, Mohakhali and Jatrabari areas missed the dead-line in December.
The construction of alternative kitchen markets is still under process.
The Karwan Bazar kitchen market is the largest in the country with about 7.6 acres of land in the heart of the capital. So many government and private offices were built surrounding Karwan Bazar.
More than a decade has passed since the project’s inception in 2006, but different issues over the years accounted to the eventual delay of its realization.
According to Dhaka North City Corporation sources, legal complexity in acquisition of lands for the alternative markets, irregularities and corruption of few officials in the absence of public representatives in the city corporations until the polls in 2015, fund crunch and lack of monitoring were some of the main reasons for the project’s drawback.
DNCC Chief Engineer Brigadier General Md Abul Khair had denied the allegations of corruption. He claimed that they were unable to complete the project in time due to lack of sufficient fund, legal complexities and revising of budget for increase in construction material costs and higher land acquisition prices.
The sources also said the failed talks with wholesalers and retailers to make them agree to relocate were also one of the reasons for the long delay.
In March last, DNCC and the business owners finally reached a consensus and signed an agreement to shift all businesses within six months from the agreement within December 31, and all the remaining shops would be cleared out by April 2017.
When contacted yesterday, Annisul Huq told The New Nation, “The construction of the three alternative kitchen markets is almost complete. We are now completing the formalities with the government’s Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) and reconstructing few infrastructures.”
“A new road near the Aminbazar kitchen market is under construction as per the new proposal of the traders. But it is taking some additional time.” he added.
However, when asked about any new dead-line, the mayor did not make any comment.
The Karwan Bazar kitchen market – largest in the country – occupies around 23 bighas, or around 7.6 acres, of area and is surrounded by offices of many government and private organisations.
Annisul said the vacated area will be used for a new project which includes a shopping mall and a recreation centre.
However, seeking anonymity a DNCC official told this reporter that the city corporation is planning to construct world class media centres in Karwan Bazar.
Md Omar Faruq, general secretary of Karwan Bazar Wholesale Kitchen Market Traders’ Association, said they were ready to shift around 1,789 shops and the process will start very soon.
He said they had recommended in the latest proposal the DNCC to allocate 400 square-feet instead of 100 square feet to each wholesaler, which might be one the reasons for delay. In 2006, the caretaker government initiated the project to relocate the wholesale and retail kitchen shops of Karwan Bazar.
The ECNEC then approved a Tk 206 crore project on October 4, 2006 to construct the alternative markets by June, 2010.
Project officials said that the former DCC had sent a revised development project proposal in July 2008 to the Planning Commission for fund shortage. The commission then asked the city corporation to stop construction of the Mohakhali kitchen market and suggested to shift it to Tongi.
However, the Planning Commission gave its approval for the three kitchen markets and asked for additional money to the LGRD Ministry and in 2008 the construction cost which was estimated according to the market rate of 2006 also rose from Tk 206 crore to Tk 314 crore.
After failing the 2010 dead-line, the project received an extension until June 2015 and the budget was again revised to around Tk350 crore.
Meanwhile, after the bifurcation of the DCC into Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) in 2012, the project went under the jurisdiction of the DNCC, although one of the new locations Jatrabari falls under DSCC.
The initiative to relocate 70 percent shops from Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar kitchen market to Aminbazar, Mohakhali and Jatrabari areas missed the dead-line in December.
The construction of alternative kitchen markets is still under process.
The Karwan Bazar kitchen market is the largest in the country with about 7.6 acres of land in the heart of the capital. So many government and private offices were built surrounding Karwan Bazar.
More than a decade has passed since the project’s inception in 2006, but different issues over the years accounted to the eventual delay of its realization.
According to Dhaka North City Corporation sources, legal complexity in acquisition of lands for the alternative markets, irregularities and corruption of few officials in the absence of public representatives in the city corporations until the polls in 2015, fund crunch and lack of monitoring were some of the main reasons for the project’s drawback.
DNCC Chief Engineer Brigadier General Md Abul Khair had denied the allegations of corruption. He claimed that they were unable to complete the project in time due to lack of sufficient fund, legal complexities and revising of budget for increase in construction material costs and higher land acquisition prices.
The sources also said the failed talks with wholesalers and retailers to make them agree to relocate were also one of the reasons for the long delay.
In March last, DNCC and the business owners finally reached a consensus and signed an agreement to shift all businesses within six months from the agreement within December 31, and all the remaining shops would be cleared out by April 2017.
When contacted yesterday, Annisul Huq told The New Nation, “The construction of the three alternative kitchen markets is almost complete. We are now completing the formalities with the government’s Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) and reconstructing few infrastructures.”
“A new road near the Aminbazar kitchen market is under construction as per the new proposal of the traders. But it is taking some additional time.” he added.
However, when asked about any new dead-line, the mayor did not make any comment.
The Karwan Bazar kitchen market – largest in the country – occupies around 23 bighas, or around 7.6 acres, of area and is surrounded by offices of many government and private organisations.
Annisul said the vacated area will be used for a new project which includes a shopping mall and a recreation centre.
However, seeking anonymity a DNCC official told this reporter that the city corporation is planning to construct world class media centres in Karwan Bazar.
Md Omar Faruq, general secretary of Karwan Bazar Wholesale Kitchen Market Traders’ Association, said they were ready to shift around 1,789 shops and the process will start very soon.
He said they had recommended in the latest proposal the DNCC to allocate 400 square-feet instead of 100 square feet to each wholesaler, which might be one the reasons for delay. In 2006, the caretaker government initiated the project to relocate the wholesale and retail kitchen shops of Karwan Bazar.
The ECNEC then approved a Tk 206 crore project on October 4, 2006 to construct the alternative markets by June, 2010.
Project officials said that the former DCC had sent a revised development project proposal in July 2008 to the Planning Commission for fund shortage. The commission then asked the city corporation to stop construction of the Mohakhali kitchen market and suggested to shift it to Tongi.
However, the Planning Commission gave its approval for the three kitchen markets and asked for additional money to the LGRD Ministry and in 2008 the construction cost which was estimated according to the market rate of 2006 also rose from Tk 206 crore to Tk 314 crore.
After failing the 2010 dead-line, the project received an extension until June 2015 and the budget was again revised to around Tk350 crore.
Meanwhile, after the bifurcation of the DCC into Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) in 2012, the project went under the jurisdiction of the DNCC, although one of the new locations Jatrabari falls under DSCC.
