Even after the Eid holidays ended, city corporation workers are still continuing clean-up operations beneath the metro stations in Uttara. The damage caused by setting up a cattle market in violation of lease conditions is expected to remain visible for a long time.
Although the city corporation administrator instructed an executive magistrate to impose a Tk50 lakh fine on the leaseholder, no one is speaking about whether any action has actually been taken so far.
While sanitation workers have removed much of the waste, a foul smell still lingers in the area. The damage caused to the trees there is also expected to take several more months to recover.
Before Eid-ul-Adha, the entire stretch from Uttara Centre Station to Uttara North Station had effectively turned into a huge cattle shed. Despite not being officially leased as a market area, bamboo structures were erected on both sides directly beneath the metro rail line to accommodate sacrificial animal trading. As a result, animal waste, leftover feed and rubbish accumulated along the entire corridor beneath the metro rail.
On 25 May, Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton visited the area and expressed anger over the situation. Ordering immediate strict action, he told officials, “Impose a Tk50 lakh fine today. Look at how many cattle are here and fine them all. Impose fines worth lakhs of taka and clear the area from all sides. Give them time and fine them as well. If they still do not leave, fine them again. You do not need to worry about political influence.”
However, no statement has been issued by the city corporation confirming whether any action was taken following the directive.
Turag Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mostafizur Rahman told TIMES of Bangladesh that he did not know whether any fine had ultimately been imposed.
Attempts to contact Administrator Milton by phone were unsuccessful. Leaseholder Sheikh Farid also did not answer repeated calls.
Dhaka North City Corporation Region-6 Regional Executive Officer Md Ziaur Rahman answered a call but disconnected after learning that the caller was a journalist.
Officials responsible for waste management also declined to comment. The executive magistrate assigned to the matter similarly did not respond to requests for comment.
A visit to the Uttara Centre Station area on Sunday showed sanitation workers continuing their operations. Some were spraying water, while piles of waste still remained beside walkways in several places.
One waste management official said 160 workers had been deployed to remove waste and eliminate the foul smell.
“Police are supervising the work in coordination with the city corporation,” the official said.
Two spray cannons were seen spraying water to reduce the odour and remove waste. Four spray cannons had also been used the previous day.
Beautification project badly damaged
Many of the trees planted along the road divider beneath the metro station as part of a beautification project have been uprooted. Animal waste was also dumped directly on the saplings.
Uttara Sector-18 resident Sharif Ahmed said the market had gone, but the smell remained.
“Animals were tied beneath the station, trucks were parked there and temporary enclosures were built. For several days, the area turned into an open cattle shed. The festival is over, but our suffering continues,” he said.
Diabari resident Ananya Sarkar said people had been forced to walk with handkerchiefs covering their noses until Friday. “Even now, many of the trees along both sides of the road remain damaged,” she said.
DNCC workers are removing animal waste and piles of soil before replanting saplings in the affected areas.
At a press conference on Saturday, DNCC Administrator Milton claimed that misleading and false information regarding the metro rail area was being spread on social media using artificial intelligence (AI) in an attempt to damage the image of both the government and DNCC.
On 27 May, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam claimed that no cattle market had actually been set up there. He said some traders had only taken temporary shelter during heavy rainfall.
Urban planner Adil Muhammad Khan sees the establishment of a market beneath a key infrastructure facility such as the metro rail as part of a display of political influence.
“In the case of cattle markets, only people linked to the ruling party seem to be receiving such a large number of leases. The process is highly questionable. Why do we not see even 30 per cent of these leases awarded through a neutral process?” he said.
