Bangabazar fire: Makeshift shops fail to satisfy cash-strapped traders 

As the fire-affected traders of Bangabazar Shopping Complex prepare to restart their businesses Wednesday, a lack of capital and mismanagement in arranging temporary makeshift shops is turning their frustration into fury.

After working as an employee at a cloth shop in Bangabazar for seven years, Mahbub Dali bought a shop in the market a few years ago. But the devastating fire on 4 April gutted his shop along with Tk10 lakh worth of goods and Tk3 lakh in cash. Mahbub Dali lost everything and is now penniless.

Mahbub Dali told The Business Standard that he had heard the government is allowing those affected to open makeshift shops. "What will I do even if I get the space for my shop? I do not have any goods or money. I had only Tk100 in my pocket this morning, now I am completely broke."

Another trader, Mohammad Sharif, who had his three shops and Tk60 lakh burnt in the fire, told TBS, "How can I start a business without capital? My family did not even have money for iftar yesterday."

Similarly, Mohammad Saiful Islam, who lost Tk1.60 crore from the two shops he had on Bangabazar's 2nd floor, said, "I have asked a moneylender to lend me Tk1.5 lakh to set up a makeshift shop here."

Another victim, Shah Alam, said, "Even if I am given the opportunity to set up a makeshift shop in an open place, I do not have the capacity to stock goods."

Those most affected by the fire are the ones who rented shops in the market complex. Shop tenants said they are getting nothing when landlords are getting allotments for new shops. 

Haroon-or-Rashid, the owner of a rented shop, said he cannot contact his landlord now and was afraid that he will not get a shop in the open-air market.

What if the landlord rents the stall to someone else at a higher rent, Haroon wondered. 

Rent and deposits in markets around Bangabazar have increased manifold due to the fire.

Rashedul Islam, another affected trader, said he has found that the rent of a godown at a Bangabazar-adjacent market jumped from Tk3,000 to Tk30,000 since the fire. 

Arrangement confusion

The affected traders are also worried that there will not be enough space in the open-air makeshift arrangement as there were many shops on the 2nd and 3rd floors of Bangabazar market. 

Zahirul Islam, general secretary of Bangabazar Shop Owners' Association, said the association has a list of 2,961 affected shops, including the ones on the second and third floors. 

"Everyone will get space to set up makeshift shops," Zahirul Islam said. 

However, he said that no one will get more than one space.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh will inaugurate the temporary shops on the ground floor of the Bangabazar Complex on Wednesday.

The Tk2.12 crore donated to the affected traders will be distributed equally among all traders in the presence of the mayor, Zahirul Islam said.

Preparations for makeshift shops

The complex ground is being levelled by removing rubble and bricks are being laid for the open-air makeshift shop arrangement for traders.

The area is being prepared for traders under the supervision of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Chief Engineer Saleh Ahmed, with the full cooperation of the investigation committee formed by the corporation, under the leadership of Executive Engineer of Region-1 Mithun Chandra Sheel.

According to the plan, sand and bricks will be laid across 1.79 acres of the Bangabazar complex. About 2.5 lakh bricks will be laid and about 150 truckloads of sand will be laid out in the entire area.

So far, 40 truckloads of sand and about 90,000 bricks have been laid.

At the same time, work on removing debris from the location has been going on since Monday under the leadership of Md Haider Ali, Chief Waste Management Officer of the city corporation.

So far, 1,060 tonnes of waste have been removed from the fire site.

Traders clash 

A scuffle broke out among affected traders on Tuesday when a dispute arose about the activities of the committee formed to identify the number of affected shop owners. The traders also questioned the formation of a new committee for the task. 

Bangladesh Shop Owners Association President Helal Uddin was present at the scene but left when the clash erupted.

Later, he said the city corporation will decide who is affected and who will get new allotments.

Nazmul Huda, president of Bangabazar Complex Shop Owners' Association, said the scuffle erupted because some had claimed that the market had 2,600 shops instead of 2,961.

"However, we have carefully listed 2,961 affected traders and given the list to the city corporation," he said. 

Earlier on 4 April, a massive fire broke out at Bangabazar Market in Dhaka, spreading to some other nearby markets. The fire left over 5,000 shops, with mainly readymade clothes and footwear, in ashes.