Traders in Hajir Bazar of Monpura upazila in Bhola district staged a strike on Thursday, shutting their shops in protest against the allocation of government land within the upazila parishad premises for a proposed new market.

The traders kept their shops closed from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and staged a protest at the upazila parishad premises.

Later, as Barishal Divisional Commissioner Md Khalil Ahmed and Bhola Deputy Commissioner Dr Shamim Ahmed arrived in Monpura, the traders blocked a road and brought out a protest procession.

The traders attempted to submit a memorandum and a written complaint to the divisional commissioner, but he did not accept the documents, according to the protesters.

The traders said Hajir Hat Market, the largest market in Monpura upazila headquarters, has been struggling with poor business due to electricity problems, inadequate infrastructure and what they described as administrative negligence.

They alleged that the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Khan Salman Habib, had planned to establish another market on government land within the upazila parishad premises, about half a kilometre from the existing market, in exchange for substantial payments.

The traders claimed the proposed market would adversely affect their livelihoods and demanded that the government land allocation be stopped. They warned of tougher demonstrations if their demand was not met.

During the protest, they also demanded a departmental investigation into the UNO and his transfer.

According to the traders, nearly one acre of land within the upazila parishad premises had remained unused as a keora garden for around 50 years. About 20 days ago, the upazila administration issued a notice inviting applications for plots to establish a new market.

Under the notice, some plots were to be allocated for Tk 100,000 and others for Tk 50,000, with payments to be made through pay orders.

The announcement triggered opposition among more than 400 traders of Hajir Hat Market, who said the proposed market would be located close to their existing businesses.

The traders had already submitted a memorandum to the UNO opposing the plan. Later, Bhola-4 constituency lawmaker Mohammad Nurul Islam Nayan directed the authorities to suspend the land allocation pending a feasibility assessment.

Since then, the traders have continued holding various programmes demanding that the allocation process be halted.