Karwan Bazar wholesale market building to be torn down after Eid: Mayor Atiq

Highly risky building of Karwan Bazar wholesale market will be demolished after the coming Eid-ul-Fitr, said Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam Monday.

He further said initially 176 traders from there the wholesale market would be shifted to Gabtoli kitchen market.

Mayor Atiqul Islam announced this while exchanging views with the Gabtoli business leaders at Gabtoli in the capital.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan attended as chief guest at the event that was organised to discuss shifting traders from the Karwan Bazar wholesale market to the Aminbazar kitchen market.

Speaking at the meeting, Asaduzzaman Khan said, “We will not keep any risky building after the Eid. The mayor has already announced that. We will tear down those gradually. We would like to request to shut businesses there. We don’t want to see any more deaths.”

Earlier, addressing the traders, the home minister said you have occupied all the roads at Karwan Bazar; you have established the market occupying the park and ground. That is why everyone should accept this option (shifting to Aminbazar). Karwan Bazar’s fish market, wholesale market - everything will be shifted gradually. You have to leave Karwan Bazar. This is a decision of the prime minister.

Earlier, DNCC mayor Atiqul in his speech said, “This office building (wholesale market building) of Dhaka north city region-5 is highly risky. This could collapse at any time. The lives of many people are under threat now. This building has been retrofitted with bamboo and wood planks. I have ordered tearing down the building after the Eid-ul-Fitr. There are 176 shops in this building. We will shift those shops here (Aminbazar kitchen market).”

“Dhaka was not built in  a day. Mirpur, Shantinagar, Uttara - all the areas were expanded gradually. Digital Bangladesh is now turning into Smart Bangladesh. We want an ordered and dynamic Dhaka. We want to shift the Karwan Bazar from the heart of Dhaka. There is no discipline there. Every trader will have to shift from there - this is the reality. There could be no wholesale market at the centre of a city,” he added.