Karwan Bazar
Karwan Bazar has been in the limelight, thanks to the triple murders within a week. The homicides are linked to extortion.
As per newspaper reports around Tk 5 lakh is extorted from legal and illegal business every day; seven people were killed in the last four months in feuds over extortion and the number of deaths is no less than 40 in the last 10 years in the premier kitchen market.Extortion, drug peddling and prostitution in or around Karwan Bazar are an open secret to all. Though the law enforcement agencies, especially police, know about it, they have not taken any effective measures to solve the problem.
I have a practical experience on how extortion is going on in the kitchen market in broad daylight in connivance with a section of law enforcement agencies. I had the opportunity to go to Karwan Bazar to buy vegetables and fish for the hall's canteen run by students. There are two types of prices in the wholesale market; one is direct price which excludes KUALI (extortion) and the second one is indirect price which includes KUALI. The KUALI has to be paid by the customers on palla (one palla=5kg) basis. For these reasons, the prices of the vegetables, fishes and fruits are increased by around 5%. Small kitchen goods sellers have to pay the musclemen, otherwise they cannot do business in Karwan Bazar because most of the kitchen goods are brought from different regions of the country.
Finally, the government should take immediate action against those extortionists and a section of law enforcers. It will bring down the prices, alongside improving law and order.
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