No rush yet at city cattle markets

Sellers are saying Dhaka's cattle markets are yet to see the kind of rush Eid-ul-Azha usually brings, but they are hoping that customers will start coming from this (Friday) morning. Eid-ul-Azha is on Monday. The haats (cattle markets) will remain open until the eve. At the markets in Gabtoli, Agargaon, Sobhanbagh, Paltan, Motijheel and Kamalapur, most people are now only window shopping. For the city dwellers, it is difficult to keep a cow at their home, so most of them prefer to buy the animal as late as possible. Traders are saying there are enough cows at the market. Gabtoli market’s leaseholder Lutfur Rahman said, ‘There are enough cows here and more are coming. But the business hasn't warmed up yet.’ Md Ripon, who brought cows to Gabtoli from Benapole, said, on Thursday evening, ‘This year it cost more to bring cows from India. We can't sell without profit. But the real buying hasn't begun yet.’ The market at Agargaon has faced criticism since its inception because of its location near two major hospitals. Leaseholder SM Jahid agreed that it was a bad move. ‘Putting the haat here was a wrong decision for the authorities. We will ask them to move it from here next year for the sake of the patients,’ he said. In Adabar, Mohammadpur, AGB Colony Bazaar in Motijheel, Gendaria intersection, several roads in Uttara and Kamalapur Railway Station, sellers have gathered with goats. This has caused some public nuisance. But buyers said this was also convenient for them. Banani-Kakoli market's authorities have been accused of selling cattle outside the market area. But leaseholder Faruk Raja, denied this. ‘There are no cows outside the designated area. But since we're right beside a main road, the trucks may create some problem,’ he said. People are saying cattle are being sold in several spots in the city that are not cattle markets. Police, however, are saying that they are not allowing this to happen, according to bdnews24.com.