Tk 2cr market bldg at Panga Haat still awaits opening 

RAJARHAT, KURIGRAM, Oct 20: A market building constructed at a cost of Tk 1.85 crore at Panga Haat in Rajarhat Upazila has remained unused for nearly three years, raising questions about the effectiveness of the project meant to help vegetable growers market their produce.

The two-storey building was constructed on 30 decimals of land under the Rural Market Infrastructure Development Project by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). Construction began in 2021 and was completed in 2023.

The facility has 18 shops and six sales centres (arats) for selling vegetables, along with water, electricity, toilets and other facilities.
However, authorities have yet to put the building into operation.

Panga area in Chhinai Union is known as a major vegetable-producing region. Farmers grow a wide range of vegetables, including eggplants, radishes, potatoes, pointed gourds, bitter gourds, cucumbers, ridge gourds and bottle gourds throughout the year.

But farmers often have to sell their produce far from home due to a lack of proper storage and marketing facilities in the area.

Locals fear that the nearly Tk 2 crore infrastructure will deteriorate further if it remains unused and without proper maintenance.

During a recent visit, weeds and dirt were found surrounding the building. Cracks were visible at several places on the walls, while plaster had fallen off in some sections. Electrical switches were also damaged. Signs of drug use were found inside the building.

The project's stated objectives were to improve rural market infrastructure, facilitate the marketing of agricultural products and create a better trading environment for farmers and traders.

But locals have questioned the project's viability as the building has remained unused for about three years after completion.

They said the number of buyers and sellers at Panga Haat is relatively low. Rajarhat Bazar, the upazila headquarters, is only six kilometres away, prompting many shoppers to go there instead.

Moreover, wholesalers purchase a large portion of vegetables directly from farmers' fields, leaving limited agricultural produce for sale at the local market.

Locals alleged that the existing business activity and the number of buyers and sellers were not properly considered before the market building was constructed.

Around 30 existing shops at the market were demolished to make way for the project, causing losses to several traders who subsequently moved elsewhere.
Local trader Mofizul Mia said his concrete shop was demolished twice for the project.

“They demolished my shop the first time and levelled the place. Six months passed but construction did not begin. I then spent Tk 80,000 to build another concrete shop. After I had done business for only a month, they demolished that one too. I suffered a huge financial loss because of this building,” he said.

Vegetable trader Md Nur Nabi Islam said there were only two vegetable shops in the entire market and their daily sales were around Tk 500 to Tk 700.

“Wholesalers buy most of the vegetables directly from the fields. Farmers take the remaining produce to Rajarhat to sell,” he said.

Trader Md Masum Rana Mondal said farmers were also reluctant to bring their produce to Panga Hat because of the lack of buyers.

“The market would have been more useful if the building had been constructed elsewhere or at Rajarhat Bazar. Besides, most of the shops are on the second floor, and buyers are not interested in going upstairs,” he said.

Local resident Md Shah-Jamal said, “The government has wasted money by building this structure at Panga Hat. Shopkeepers open their shops in the afternoon, but there are hardly any people in the market. That is why the building remains unused.”

Md Mominul Islam, a member of the Panga Haat committee, said several electric lights had been kept on for about six months to prevent the building from becoming completely abandoned.

“This resulted in an electricity bill of around Tk 18,000. The Kurigram-Lalmonirhat Palli Bidyut Samity later disconnected the connection as the bill could not be paid,” he said.

“There is no income from this building, so we are not willing to spend money on it. There is no possibility of reopening it,” he added.

However, Md Ejaharul Haque, Upazila Engineer who was responsible for construction of the building, said the facility had been completed according to the approved design and plan and handed over to the market committee.