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Considering the suffering of the citizens and the health risks of the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is not allowing any cattle market in the city ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. Rather, the DNCC authorities have organised a 'Digital Haat' (www.digitalhaat.net) so that people can still buy sacrificial animals in a safe manner.
Nagad, the state-run financial services venture, has become the payment partner of this state-of-the-art digital market place, says a press statement on Wednesday.
The postal department's financial transaction service has stood by the customers so that they can easily make payments avoiding health risks when buying a sacrificial animal from this online market. Sellers can also receive their payments without any health risk.
Already, more than 1,500 animals have been registered in the digital market with the help of 34 online platforms. Buyers have started choosing cows, goats, and buffaloes of different colors, sizes and breeds from this ‘Digital Haat,’ according to the statement.
The DNCC is monitoring the market place to maintain a fair price, while Nagad is settling the payment issues.
About the new kind of service, DNCC mayor Atiqul Islam said, “This time we have started it experimentally. I know that there are many challenges and there can be many mistakes also. We want to work further in the future with this learning from here.”
Managing director of Nagad Tanvir Ahmed Mishuk said “We have been working from the beginning to make life easier for the citizens and the entrepreneurs. There are many problems in buying and selling cattle at the sacrificial market… but now ‘Nagad’ has come up with a simple solution to alleviate that concern by making the payments digital.”
So far, more than 15,000 visitors have tried to verify and select their favourite sacrificial animal from the digital platform.
In association with E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-Cab) and Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA), the DNCC launched this very first initiative of Digital Haat on July 11.