Paddy market on Bogra road makes life risky

An illegal paddy market, held thrice a week on the Bogra-Dhaka highway under Sherpur upazila during the last 20 years, often causes road accidents.

An influential resident of the area has been collecting a huge sum of money as toll from the paddy market on a 3-km stretch of the Sherua Bottola-Mirzapur Haat highway in the district every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.

Many accidents have occurred in the area due to the large number of vehicles parked on the highway and the huge crowd of sellers and buyers. 

Some people have set up a large number of rice husking mills beside the highway due to the paddy market.

Farmers Abul Kalam, Poresh Kumar, Abdul Aziz and Rustom Ali said they take their paddy to the market facing risks due to the traffic as there is no other place for selling paddy.

Locals Abdul Bari and Aminul Islam said Sherua Bottola has become an accident-prone area due to the illegal market on the highway.

Toll collectors Rezaul Karim and Prodip Kumar said they have been following the conditions of the lease of the market.

Sherpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer AKM Sarwar Jahan said no one can set up a marketplace on the busy highway. A letter was sent recently to the Roads and Highways Department for removal of the paddy market, he added.