An unapproved kitchen market, occupying two plots of BSCIC (Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation) industrial area in Tangail, remains an issue of conflict between the BSCIC authorities and locals and traders of the market.

The BSCIC authorities have demanded removal of the market for what they said security reasons while traders and locals want keeping the market there.

Security of the whole industrial area is hampered as there is no boundary wall to separate the kitchen market, said several owners of industrial units of the 23-acre BSCIC industrial area at Taratia in Sadar upazila.

The set-up was opened on June 5, 1986.

Currently 65 mills and industrial units are operating in 130 plots of the industrial area while remaining two plots at the east side of the industrial area has remained occupied by a kitchen market for long.

According to Tangail Sadar Upazila Parishad, there is no approval for the kitchen market.

In 1999, the two plots were allocated to an industry named Masud Enterprise but the BSCIC authorities could not remove the illegal market from the plots in the last 20 years.

During a recent visit, this correspondent saw there is no boundary wall at the place of the BSCIC industrial area and people were entering there freely.

"The market was here before the setting up of the BSCIC industrial area. If the market is removed, many people will become unemployed while locals will have to go to several kilometres away for buying necessary things," said Mobarak Hossain, president of Taratia Bazar Committee.

"And so, locals have urged the authorities concerned not to remove the kitchen market," he added.

Khalekuzzaman Chowdhury, chairman of Karatia union parishad, said they have applied to the district administration for keeping the market there permanently considering the interest of locals.        

On the other hand, Abul Mansur, president of the factory owners association in the BSCIC industrial area, said the illegal market causes security concern for them as people move there through the market freely.

The authorities should remove the illegal market immediately and block the area with a boundary wall for the sake of the security of the industrial area, he added.

Tauhidul Haque, an official of the BSCIC industrial area, said, "We have raised the matter in the district's monthly development coordination meeting and written to the district administration for removing the illegal market. The administration assured us of taking necessary steps in this regard."

Md Shahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Tangail, said the illegal market will be shifted if any alternative place is found.