CHATTOGRAM, Feb 24: The shop owners are yet to get the allocation of the shops after long eight months of the completing the main market Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) for delay dealing.
The shop owners are passing their days with tension as the CPA is yet to confirm the date of allocation of shops at the new main market which is constructed before eight months.
Sources said, CPA has constructed a main market at the area of CPA colony by demolishing the old market. There were a total of 64 shops at the old market. CPA demolished the shops as these were very old before four years and constructed new main market.
The construction work has already been completed before eight months. Meanwhile, a syndicate is involved with fraud with the shop owners and took huge money by telling that they would ensure the allocation of shops. Many shop owners have already gave hundreds of thousands (lakhs) of Taka to the fraud syndicate for allocating the shops. But, they are yet to ensure the allocation of shops.
Shop Owners Association Secretary Abul Hashem acknowledged that the CPA has not yet allocated the shops at the newly-constructed market to the shop owners.
"The port authority demolished the old market four years ago for building the new one which is the main market of CPA. At that time, the CPA had said that the construction work would be ended within one-and-a-half-year. However, it took four years to complete the construction work that ended only eight months back. Although construction work of the market completed eight months ago, the CPA is yet to allocate the shops to the shop owners," Hashem told the FE.
On the other hand, the shop-owners of the now demolished old market who were promised of getting new shops at the newly-built market have expressed their anguish for the dilly-dallying in handing over them the shops. Now they are continuing their business temporarily either on roads, sidewalks or beside footpaths. They expressed dismay at losing the capital that they have paid to become owner of the shops at the newly-built market. They fear that the money invested in getting the shops might be lost as the market has not been formally opened after eight months because of dilly-dallying on part of the authority.
"Days are going out days are coming but the promise has not been fulfilled. It feels that our hopes are fading," the affected traders said.
Sources said, the CPA spent Tk 140 million (Tk 14 crore) to build its new main market. It formed a two-member committee to finally fix a rate as advance to be taken from the shop owners in return for giving them allocation of the shops, they said.
But, the committee is yet to fix the rate of advance six months after the committee was formed. As a result, the wait to get allocation of the shops is becoming too lengthy which created anger among the owners. Besides, the delay has not made the CPA gainer too. Their Tk 140 million investment has remained idle since last year.
Deputy Manager (Estate) of CPA Zillur Rahman said they are working to allocate the shops to the owners as soon as possible. "We are waiting for the decision of CPA's board of directors in this regard. After getting the decision, we will start the allocating of shops," he added.
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