Satmile animal market in Jessore Sharsha is open again

The upazila administration has re-opened the Satmile animal market in Jessore's Sharsha Baganchra, the largest in the south-west region of the country, after a long period of closure. General buyers and traders have expressed their happiness.

On Wednesday (September 11), the market was crowded with cows and goats and buyers and sellers from early morning.

It is known that during the dictatorial regime, the market was managed by the general secretary of the local union Awamieg, Ilyas Kabir Bakul and the president of Kaiba Union Awami League, Hasan Feroz Tinku.

Even though the traders received the trader card for 3 thousand taka from them, they were charged 500 taka per cow and 1000 to 1200 taka per cow was collected from the general buyers. However, since the cow market was not leased, the government price was 400 to 600 taka. After the fall of the dictatorship, when all the leaders of Awami League covered their heads in running the market, the upazila administration was running the market for 2 days along with the students.

But the card holders did not get any benefit of the merchant card made by Awami League union president Bakul and Tinku. In the market, the card holders get angry when the prices of each cow start at the same price as the card holders and ordinary buyers. The upazila administration closed the market fearing the deterioration of law and order if the agitation started at the market.

Later, when news came out that common buyers and cattle traders were in trouble due to the announcement of closure of Baganchra Satmile cow market, it came to the attention of the administration and the upazila administration reopened the cow market from Tuesday.

Cow dealer Azam said, I have been associated with this market since 1996. I buy and sell cows here. We were disappointed that the market was closed. Because after raising the cows of the farm for the whole year, now it was time to put a hand on the head. If the traders did not come from outside, we had to sell our cows at a loss. We are very happy that the animal market is now operational.

Jahangir Hossain, Joint Convenor of Baganchra Union BNP, said that the former chairman of this union, Ilyach Kabir Bakul, has been running this market on lease for about 10 years. He has run the market amid various irregularities for a long time. This year they managed the administration without taking any lease of the market and managed the market and embezzled several crores of rupees. It is sad that the administration has suddenly closed the market after the fall of Sheikh Hasina. He alleged that the administration was also involved in embezzling crores of rupees from this haat.

In this regard, Sharsha Upazila Executive Officer Nayan Kumar Rajbanshi said that 130 to 150 manpower is required to run the Satmile cow market. The haat was closed for some time due to insecurity due to the lack of manpower of the upazila administration. Later it came to the notice of the higher officials that the animal market had been re-opened on their orders.

It should be noted that the biggest Pashuhat in South Bengal is the Seven Mile Pashuhat in Sharsha. A market was held here every Saturday and Tuesday for two days. Thousands of cows, buffaloes, sheep and goats from different parts of the country are sold in this two-day market. This hut is leased by the government for a huge sum of money every year.

Bengal In 1328, the lease fee of the seven-mile Pashuhat was 8.5 million taka, in 1329, 14.5 million taka and in 1330, the lease fee was 10.5 million taka. However, in the new year 1331, there was no call or lease of this hut. That is why the previous lessees disobeyed the government law and collected lakhs of rupees from the market.