Traders in Jhenaidah municipality have demanded an end to alleged illegal extortion and excessive market taxes imposed by a leaseholder. On Tuesday, business owners from the New Hatkhola market held a press conference accusing the leaseholder of collecting arbitrary fees under the guise of municipal and district administration charges. They claimed that the leaseholder, using political influence, was collecting large sums monthly without official receipts.

Several traders reported that the tax on raw goods had risen from four taka per maund to 160 taka, while goat sellers said they were being forced to pay 2,000 taka per sale. The traders warned that if authorities failed to stop the alleged extortion, they would close the markets and launch a strong protest movement.

Leaseholder Akhtar Hossain denied the allegations, saying fees were being collected as before. The municipal administrator promised to display an official tax list soon, while the district commissioner assured strict action, including lease cancellation, if overcharging was proven.