Sylhet trade fair uncertain as row over venue drags on
Much talked 'Sylhet International Trade Fair-2010' faces uncertainty as Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has failed to arrange venue for the event earlier scheduled for March, mainly due to opposition from a section of business people and locals.
The SCCI authorities are, however, still hopeful about organising the fair soon although they had to cancel their decision for proposed venues twice during the last two months.
In line with the schedule given by the commerce ministry for holding the fair in March, the SCCI engaged JF International, an event manager, for the purpose.
At first the SCCI authority reached an understanding with the authorities of Government MC College for holding the fair at the college playground but an education ministry order barred using the playground of an educational institution for such event, SCCI sources said.
Then they opted for a field at Shahjalal Uposhahar but the idea had to be abandoned as some community leaders of the area urged not to hold the fair there.
Then Sylhet Alia Madrasah ground was selected for the event, but a large section of the city's business community, especially traders of different markets and shopping malls under the banner of Sylhet Zila Babosayee Oikya Kalyan Parishad seriously opposed the move.
Students and teachers of the madrasah also prepared to 'resist' holding of the fair in their field.
Consequently, SCCI administrator Faruque Mahmud Chowdhury issued a statement suspending their move to hold the fair at the madrasah ground.
"We have asked the event manager to look for an alternative venue. We will again write to them to do things in a week," the SCCI administrator told this correspondent on Tuesday.
"To ensure transparency, for the first time we had leased out the event through open tender, which was published in national newspapers. It was leased out for Tk 81,50,500. We have already taken Tk 10 lakh as security money. We are confident enough to hold the event," he added.
In the face of protest by the city's business community who apprehended deterioration in law and order and business loss, the authorities had to shift the fair venue from Alia Madrasah ground in earlier years also.
The government appointed an administrator in the SCCI after the former elected executive committee of the business body was dissolved following a case against its president Zunnun Mahmud Khan and others on charge of misappropriating over a crore taka from the trade fair deal last year.
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