RAJSHAHI, July 22: Kharkhari Haat at Paba in the district has been leased at only Taka 10 thousand.
This haat is leased to Ariful Islam, a local Awami League leader, on last 15th April. Now Ariful Islam takes Tk 80 per mound of vegetable as toll, and collects approximately Taka 1,50,000 on a daily basis.
An allegation against toll collection has been raised recently. It has been alleged the toll collected is 30 times higher.
The local Awami leaders are taking leases nominally from the local administration, municipality, and City Corporation. This is now considered as extortion, according to the merchants here.
It has been also alleged the authorities concerned directly help Awami leaders in giving lease.
According to sources, Baneshwar Haat of Puthia Upazila is the largest haat of North Bengal. This haat deals with a plenty of money every day. It is also famous for trading vegetable, banana, paddy and cattle. Every day 25 to 30 lakh of taka are exchanged here.
Osman Ali, a local Awami leader got the licence of toll collection at only one crore and 12 lakh taka from the UNO office this time. But last year the licence money was almost one and a half crore; the difference in the amount of money is highly unusual.
Atab Ali of the village of Maria of Durgapur bought a goat from this haat recently. He claims that he had to give Tk 350. As toll, the goat seller also gave Tk 50.
The toll collectors demand Tk 20 per mound in trading vegetables, Tk 800 per cow, Tk 20 per mound of mangoes, Tk 3 per bundle of banana, and paddy and wheat per tk 20 in a kilogram. There is no legitimate toll-chart has been seen in the haat.
Akbar Ali and Monirul Islam, merchants from the haat, complained of extortion at least 15 to 30 lakh taka in a year. No complaint against the toll collectors is taken seriously by the administration, they claimed.
Osman Ali, the leaseholder of the haat, claimed that no illegitimate amount of toll is collected from the haat.
Owaliujjaman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said that "no illegal way of leasing happened here, as far I know. If the toll collectors demand excessive toll from the merchants, administration will take action against him."
To protest against the toll, traders of Kharkhari Bazaar in the district did not buy chillies on Wednesday last. So the chilli farmers suffered a lot.
Rejaul Karim, a local merchant, claimed that the haat in front of the school of Kharkhari has almost been closed. The Awami leaders started extortion with their goons in the name of toll collection. He again alleged that the toll collectors demand Tk 40 per mound to both of the buyers and sellers. So the amount of toll collection is high.
Zahid Newaj, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Paba Upazila, said although the lease was taken at Tk 10 thousand this time, it will be increased up to five lakh taka in the next year. He pledged to cancel the licence of the toll collectors if the complaints of extortion are proved.
The haat, in which the complaints of illegitimate toll collection have taken place, is new, so that it is leased at only Tk 10 thousand, the UNO answered a question against nominal lease.
On the other hand, the haat of Durgapur Upazila is leased at Tk 37 lakh and 90 thousand last year. This time a local Awami leader, named Ayenuddin, took the haat with four lakh taka less of earlier lease money. A complaint against toll collection of Tk 10 lakh from this haat recently has also been raised.
According to sources, this haat witnesses almost taka four crore and 80 lakh per year as extortion.
Tofajjel Hossain, Mayor of the Durgapur Municipality, said that the amount of leasing money depends on the situation.
Several complaints of extortion have been recorded on at least 10 haats including Taherpur Haat of Baghmara, Vabaniganj Haat, City Haat of Rajshahi, Arani Haat of Bagha, Keshor Haat of Mohonpur, Mandumala Haat of Tanore, Kakon Haat of Godagari, Jhalmaliya Haat of Puthiya, and Kanpara Haat of Durgapur.
