Sacrificial animal sales begin at 16 makeshift cattle markets in the capital today amid serious health concerns due to coronavirus situation.

The markets will continue until the Eid day, said the authorities.

Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation have jointly invited tenders for 30 markets, but later DSCC leased 11 and DNCC five markets.

Local people complained on Monday that leaseholders had started flouting terms and conditions set by the city corporations.

They said that leaseholders had started markets a week ago grabbing nearby areas of the market places and they engaged workers without minimum safety measures.

Dhaka South city mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Monday said that DSCC would take actions against infringement of rules.

Considering needs of citizens DSCC permitted only 11 cattle markets and would not allow any illegal trading of cattle, he said at Dhanmondi after releasing fish fry at Dhanmondi Lake.

City corporation officers, however, said that they had reduced the number of makeshift cattle markets considering health risks.

Bangladesh Health Rights Movement president and former Bangladesh Medical Association president Rashid E Mahmub said that the city corporations set up the markets even though the national technical advisory committee on COVID-19 forbade such moves.

He observed that maintaining health guidelines in markets would be almost impossible and that would pose more threats to the buyers.

DNCC chief estate officer Md Muzammel Hoque said that they were giving their best to ensure safety at the markets.

Beside the central 13-member market monitoring team, local zonal officials would also be vigilant against rule violations.

Development activist Sohel Rana, a resident of Ganderia in the old part of Dhaka, said that traders started gathering cattle at Dhupkhola Math, DSCC leased out the haat, two week back where children, youth and even aged people rush just to see the cattle.

According to a city corporation circulation the leaseholders would run cattle markets for five days including on Eid day, to be celebrated on August 1.

Abdul Awal, a trader from Harinakundu in Jhenaidah who arrived at Dhupkhola market, said that the leaseholders asked them to arrive early to taking position on front row and he did so as that was his priority.

He bought seven oxen and was planning to bring some 20 within one or two days.

Awal said that he knew it better that the cattle sales would start one or two days ahead of Eid.

Like him Helal Uddin Talukder, a trader from Pabna arrived at Uttara Bindaban area cattle market.

He said that he turned up earlier to stay in the front line.

Market people said potential buyers were thronging the markets without wearing masks and there was no monitoring.

But other leaseholders said that due to the flood situation farmers arrived much ahead of the scheduled time.

Md Parvej Mia, leaseholder of Uttarkhan Moinartek area cattle market also organising secretary of Uttarkhan union Awami League, said that they always asked customers as well as traders not to enter the markets without masks.

A leaseholder of Uttara Bindaban cattle market denied making any comment about the irregularities.

DNCC’s five makeshift cattle markets are Uttara Bindaban, Kaula Shialdanga, Uttarkhan Moinartech, Vatara Sayeednagar and Dumni adjacent to Purbachal Bridge.

Gabtoli cattle market, the largest and permanent cattle market in Dhaka, will remain open as it is.

DSCC’s 11 cattle markets are near Postagola Mortuary, Kamalapur Little Friends Club, Hazaribagh’s Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology, Uttar Shahjahanpur Moitri Sangher Math, Aftabnagar, Meradia Bazar, Donia College, Dhupkhola Math, Sadek Hossain Khoka Math, Amulia Model Town and Rahamatganj Math.

DSCC chief estate officer Rasel Sabrin said that they had requested people to maintain health guidelines.