RAJSHAHI, 23 May (V7N)– Allegations have surfaced in Bagha, Rajshahi, that powerful local groups have seized control of the Lakshminagar Balu Mahal (sand quarry) on the Padma River and the Rustampur Pashu Hat (livestock market) without proper leases, extracting sand and collecting tolls illegally. This comes as the upazila administration struggles to manage its own leased markets.

Locals report that an influential group has effectively occupied both the sand quarry, where sand is being extracted "to Dedars without a lease," and the Rustampur Pashu Hat, one of the two largest animal markets in the upazila, where tolls are being collected monthly without authorization.

The lease for the Rustampur cattle market was reportedly suspended last Tuesday due to an intra-party dispute, a fact confirmed by Upazila Assistant Commissioner of Land and Arani Municipal Administrator, Sabiha Sultana Dolly. However, locals claim that leaders of a political party collected tolls from the market without any legal basis on March 21, attributing the situation to administrative weaknesses.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) Dolly explained that since the interim government system was introduced two months ago, she has been serving as the administrator of Arani Municipal Council. She stated, "In the last six months, we have published lease (auction) notices for the Rustampur cattle market in the municipal area three times in different newspapers. But the schedule has not been sold even once. As a result, we have been providing open leases for a month." She added that they have only managed to lease the market for a maximum of three to four lakh taka per month. Dolly further revealed that last Tuesday, a heated argument erupted between two factions of the same political party when it was time to lease the market for the upcoming month, leading her to suspend the lease. She later learned that the individual who held the lease for the previous month collected tolls from the cattle market on Wednesday.

Sohel Rana, assistant engineer and secretary of Arani Municipality, corroborated that when the auction schedule goes unsold after three newspaper notices, a month-long open lease is issued. He stated that the current lease for this market is in the name of former Arani UP chairman and BNP leader Tozammelak Haque, who has filed a writ petition in court. Haque has claimed significant losses due to two consecutive weeks of rain and is seeking an additional 10 market days. However, the municipality has filed a petition to cancel his writ. Rana also noted that when he was municipal mayor, the market's annual lease generated 2.15 to 2.5 crore taka, which covered employee salaries. Now, with reduced lease prices, employees are not being paid properly.

Meanwhile, while the Bagha Upazila administration published a notice for the lease of the Lakshminagar Balumahal in Chakrajapur Union in March, it lacks information on whose name the lease was issued. Consequently, political party leaders and activists are continuously mining sand. Bagha Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shammi Akhtar clarified that sand pit leases are handled by the district administration. She confirmed that she has not received any documents verifying whether the two Balu Mahals in the upazila have been leased for the current year, vowing to take necessary measures soon. Regarding the two markets in the upazila, she stated that locals are not participating in the lease process, leading to monthly lease arrangements.

Akhtar also mentioned that tolls at the Chandipur Hat are being collected through the upazila administration. However, residents of the Chandipur area claim that Ansar members and various government employees are currently collecting tolls at the Chandipur Cow Hat. They express concern that the government and municipal authorities will incur significant financial losses this Eid al-Adha due to the failure to properly lease the market through the official notification process.

END/RAR/RH/