Staff Correspondent

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Monday said a process for gradually relocating the wholesale kitchen market at Karwan Bazar to the Gabtoli area in Dhaka would begin after Eid-ul-Fitr.

The structures hosting the Karwan Bazar kitchen market are very accident-prone, and thus the market has to be relocated in keeping with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s orders for keeping risky buildings free of commercial activities, the home minister said.

He was speaking at a meeting with business leaders at the Aminbazar kitchen market in Gabtoli, according to media reports.

The trend of deaths in risky buildings has to be checked, Asaduzzaman Kamal said adding that Karwan Bazar would be transformed into a beautiful commercial hub.

Many traders believe the Gabtoli-Aminbazar area is still not as business-friendly as Karwan Bazar. Despite the reservations among the traders over the relocation, the home minister encouraged them to take the “huge opportunity” and assured them of providing all the facilities they would need at the new location.

He assured the businessman that the Dhaka North City mayor would take the necessary measures to meet their demands, urging them to consult with the mayor regarding their requirements.

The mayor would also set up a wholesale fish market at the BGB market along the Sadarghat-Gabtoli road by the River Buriganga, Asaduzzaman said.

Due to metro rail and other factors, the Karwan Bazar is narrowing gradually. Trucks are increasingly finding it difficult to enter the area. Besides trucks bound for the wholesale market are blocking Tejgaon roads, the home minister said justifying the potential relocation.

Dhaka North authorities have said the speedy-relocation of Karwan Bazar wholesale market is essential.