The mango orchards, in front of the historical Uttara Ganabhaban in Natore, though earmarked for parking area for the tourists, have been taken over by local businessmen to serve as marketplace.
According to sources, during the Covid-19 pandemic, to maintain social distance guidelines, the district administration relocated the Dighapatia Bazar, which sits since Raja Raja Doyaram era, to the mango orchards in front of the Uttara Ganabhaban.
Although the Covid-19 situation has improved and social distancing guidelines have been lifted, the market has not yet returned to its own place. As a result, the mango trees are at a risk.
After the pandemic, the district administration opened the Ganabhaban to the visitors with tickets, and designated the mango orchards as parking areas.
However, an unscrupulous group of people still use the orchards as a market place, which held twice a week. The presence of vendors and customers is damaging the orchards and disrupting the parking space. Additionally, various banners and festoons are being nailed onto the mango trees and other trees, which are putting the trees at risk.
According to the sources, the weekly market at Dighapatia Bazar has been held for two days since the Raja’s time, specifically on Saturday and Tuesday, and there is a designated government area for this market. This area has been covered with a tin shed and paved since the Raja’s time.
As a result, the designated market area in Dighapatia Bazaar is being neglected and occupied, while the mango orchards are deteriorating. The mango and other trees are facing damage, and visitors are experiencing inconvenience.
During a visit, this correspondent found that hundreds of vendors set their shops on Saturday and Tuesday not only in the two mango orchards but also along the roadside. Those shops sell fast food as well as cosmetics.
The trees in the orchards are being damaged due to the movement of hundreds of buyers and sellers, causing damage to the garden soil, preventing any grass from growing, leading to a decline in soil fertility and putting the trees at risk.
Additionally, various banners and festoons have been nailed to every mango tree, putting these trees in jeopardy. The area is crowded with hundreds of people, and the road leading to Ganabhaban is also packed with visitors. Tourists from different parts of the country are unable to park their vehicles in the designated parking areas due to the market and are forced to park on the roadside, causing traffic disruptions.
Sarwar, a visitor from Rajshahi, said that they came to visit Ganabhaban in a bus but were inconvenienced as there is a market in the parking area. They had to park their vehicle about 1 km away on the roadside. There were difficulties for women to move around freely as it was Haat (Market) day.
He urged the authorities to take necessary steps to remove the market and use the area for parking for the benefit of the visitors.
Environmental worker Fazle Rabbi from Naldanga said that the way banners and festoons have been nailed to the trees poses a death threat to the trees. He requested immediate interference from the district administration to remove these banners and festoons.
A shopkeeper from Dighapatia Bazar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the designated market area in Dighapatia is currently being intruded. Some people are using it for cow dung, damaging the tin sheds, and gradually taking over the area.
Meanwhile, the market in the mango orchard is damaging the garden area and the trees, causing problems for visitors.
In this situation, he urges the district administration to take prompt action to relocate the market to its original eastern site, clear the garden of encroachments, save the trees, and ensure unrestricted access for visitors.
When asked about the issue, Assistant Commissioner in Natore, Rashedul Islam, said that they had previously prohibited nailing banners and festoons to the trees and would soon remove them. He also mentioned that he would discuss the market issue with higher authorities.
Uttara Ganabhaban, also known as the Dighapatia Rajbari, was built in 1734 by Raja Doyaram who was the Dewan (minister) of Rani Bhabani. It is served as the home of seven generations of kings from late seventeenth century till mid-twentieth century.
It is now known as the prime minister's residence in the northern region. There are rows of mango trees planted during king’s era. These mango trees, planted on both sides of the road leading to the Ganabhaban Gate, have enhanced the beauty of the Ganabhaban and are great sources of oxygen.
