Turning an Eidgah into a kitchen market
Abdul Haque grew up in Avenue 5, Block D of Mirpur-6 area. He is a resident of the area since 1975.
He recalls how he used to offer prayers at the Eidgah ground beside the Central Jame Mosque Complex, located across the road from his house, during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. The ground was the centre of attraction for all children in the neighbourhood in the afternoon play time.
However, Abdul's six-year-old son may not be as fortunate as his father.
"My son also wants to play in an open field, but the Eidgah field is now occupied by influentials to set up a kitchen market, and there is no other field or playground in the area," he said.
Nur Hossain, another resident of the area, said, "The ground was used be a playground for local children. We grew up playing in the field. Later, it was turned to an Eidgah following the demand of the locals. Now, it has been occupied and is being used to make money."
Several other residents of the area echoed the same.
The National Housing Authority owns the 40-katha land of the Eidgah field.
Visiting the area recently, this correspondent saw most part of the Eidgah ground has been turned to a kitchen market.
The main gate has become dilapidated, with a writing that said "Eidgah ground" almost faded away.
Around 200 tin-shed shops have been selling fish, chicken, meat, and groceries for over a decade there.
A wholesale fish trade also takes place daily between 6:00am and 8:30am. Alongside, there is an ice mill for preserving fish.
Only a small part of the field, where a podium was erected for the Imam to conduct Eid prayers, remains unoccupied.
Residents said the mosque's committee let the kitchen market to run there to collect money for the upkeep of an orphanage under Darul Ulum Alia Madrasa, adjacent to the mosque.
According to the shop owners, Gias Uddin Bepari, general secretary of the mosque's committee, took advance payments of Tk 50,000-1.5 lakh to allot space to the shops.
Also, each shop has to pay Tk 50-150 daily to the mosque committee, while each of the around 30 wholesale fish traders pays Tk 300-500 every day.
Locals said they have submitted letters to the police commissioner, city mayor, housing and public works ministry, traffic police department, and all other authorities concerned with signatures of residents of the area.
They demanded the authorities to evict the kitchen market and recover the playground for mental and physical well-being of children in the locality.
Yet, no step has been taken to this end.
Contacted, Gias Uddin Bepari said he started serving as general secretary of the mosque recently.
Asked if any permission from the NHA to turn the Eidgah field into a kitchen market, he claimed the field was turned into a kitchen market a long time ago to run the orphanage.
"As far as I know, no one from the previous committees took permission for it," he admitted.
Asked why they did not feel it was necessary to get permission from the NHA, he said, "You all know how it was turned into a kitchen market."
Joarder Tabedun Nabi, an executive engineer of the NHA Dhaka Division-1, Mirpur, said they neither leased the land to any one nor did the mosque committee seek permission from them to turn the Eidgah land into a kitchen market.
"We have written two letters proposing eviction of the kitchen market since January 2023," he also said.
"If the NHA chairman approves the eviction proposal, it will be sent to the deputy commissioner of Dhaka. Once the DC appoints a magistrate, we will go for the eviction drive," Nabi added.
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