No Tender for 3 Years: Allegations of Illegal Handover of Century-Old Kahikuchi Market to Single Person

The Kahikuchi semi-weekly market near Borjhar Airport under Azara Revenue Circle, which was included in the Jalukbari constituency represented by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma after delimitation on the western fringe of Guwahati, has now become a threat to public health due to lack of proper management. Even a spell of light rain creates a foul-smelling environment in the market. As a result, customers and sellers have to suffer extreme misery.

Similarly, serious allegations have been raised that the century-old market, run under the Guwahati Metropolitan Zila Parishad, has been illegally handed over to the same person for three years for management in violation of government rules and regulations without any tender or auction.

Therefore, demanding an investigation into how one person was allowed to illegally run the market for three years without tender and to end the foul environment of the market, a socially conscious person from Azara Kahikuchi named Shyamal Das submitted a memorandum to the Chief Executive Officer of Guwahati Metropolitan Zila Parishad on August 23.

According to the memorandum, Shyamal Das mentioned that due to lack of proper management and planning by the mahaldar, fish, meat and other goods are allowed to be bought and sold on the side of the busy main road, and due to lack of cleanliness, the environment of the market has become unhygienic, causing much inconvenience to the local people.

In addition, traders are also facing many difficulties as the mahaldar collects taxes forcefully from the traders without following any rules and regulations.

Despite so many irregularities, the question has been raised as to at whose instigation the responsibility of managing the market has been given privately to the same person for three years without conducting any kind of tender or auction.

According to information, tenders were invited for managing the market in 2023. Accordingly, several people including Nitul Das, Harkanta Nath, Gajen Das of Azara area participated in the tender. Among them, a person named Nitul Das got the responsibility of managing the market for one year at about Rs 14 lakh. In the subsequent years 2024, 2025 and the current year 2026, the same person has been allowed to run the market without inviting any tender.