A routine waste clean-up announcement has sparked deep anxiety among traders at Kusumpur Bazar in Maheshpur upazila, with many fearing that the initiative could be used as a pretext to evict long-standing businesses from the market.

Traders alleged that the newly appointed market lessee, backed by a section of local influencers, is attempting to exploit the clean-up drive to dismantle selected shops and gain control of valuable government-owned khas land.

According to local sources, Kusumpur Bazar has grown over the years on both private and government land. 

Many traders have been operating for decades after constructing shops on khas land, while some private landowners have also expanded their establishments by encroaching on adjoining government land.

For years, waste has been dumped on a stretch of khas land on one side of the market.

Last Friday, the Kusumpur Land Office carried out a miking campaign, announcing that the accumulated waste would be removed.

Traders, however, claimed the announcement was made strategically, raising fears that it could pave the way for selective evictions rather than a neutral clean-up operation.

Several traders alleged that under the guise of waste removal, certain individuals were attempting to seize control of prime khas land in collusion with a section of the local administration.

Local sources further alleged that pharmacy trader Zulfiqar Ali Zulu was involved in efforts to take over government land within the market area.

They also claimed that a number of businessmen,  including Shamsul Haque Bado, Jalal Uddin Biswas, Qutub Uddin Biswas, Mohiuddin Biswas, Siddiqur Rahman, Anarul Master, Masud Ali, Md Nayan, Salauddin Jewel, Md Rahman, Jahangir Ali, Montu Mandal, Momin Rahman, Farzan Ali and Rabiul Islam Robal, have constructed shops by occupying portions of khas land.

Traders argued that if these lands or establishments had been formally allocated, the government could have earned revenue worth crores of taka.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, several traders said that many people are currently benefiting from the occupation of khas land in the market. 

They stressed that any eviction drive must be fair and uniform.

“Targeting only a few shops will create tension and may lead to clashes in the market,” one trader warned.

Responding to the allegations, Zulfiqar Ali Zulu said that the occupation of khas land has existed for years, while some parts of the land remain unused or controlled by only one or two individuals.

He argued that reclaiming unused land could allow for the construction of new shops and categorically denied all allegations against him.

Assistant Officer of the Kusumpur Land Office, Zulfiqar Ali, said the miking campaign was conducted solely to remove waste and dirt from the market area.

He said the district administration plans to carry out similar clean-up drives across all upazilas, including all markets in Maheshpur.

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“There has been no announcement or instruction to evict any shops,” he said, adding that some shops built on khas land adjacent to the market would be surveyed to ensure compliance with existing regulations.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Maheshpur Upazila, Istiak Ahmed, also dismissed fears of land grabbing under the pretext of waste removal.

“There is no scope to occupy land in the name of cleaning. The matter will be communicated to the Kusumpur Land Office to ensure that no one illegally occupies government land," he said.