Bangabazar traders allowed to set up makeshift shops before Eid
The fire that razed the market was fully doused on Friday morning, 72 hours after it broke out on Tuesday
The Bangabazar traders have heaved a sigh of relief as the authorities have allowed them to set up makeshift shops in the fire-ravaged marketplace ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Firefighters were able to fully douse the fire on Friday morning, 72 hours after the fire broke out at the market, Fire Service Headquarters Deputy Assistant Director (Media) Md Shahjahan Shikder told The Business Standard (TBS), adding that the authorities are now working to clear the debris.
Zahirul Islam, the acting general secretary of the Bangabazar Complex Owners' Association, told TBS, "The debris will be cleared within 24 hours to make the place ready for the shopkeepers so that they can set up temporary shops in tents there."
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"The steel structures of the ruined market were sold for Tk40 lakh. The city corporation will distribute the money equally among the affected shopkeepers," he said.
Asked whether all the shopkeepers can be accommodated here, Zahirul Islam said, "No.. not all of them will be here. We will accommodate some traders in the Annexco building. In this way, we will face this crisis together."
"We will also help those traders who lost everything in the fire and do not have money or goods for sale. The bereaved traders will be given goods on credit," he said.
When asked about the extent of the damage, Zahirul said a list is being prepared to calculate the total loss.
"Hopefully, we will be able to complete the list by Saturday and submit it to the city corporation. They are also making a list. Together, we will reveal the extent of damage on Sunday afternoon," the trade leader added.
Visiting the spot Thursday, Salman F Rahman, the private industry and investment adviser to the prime minister, said, "The fire-hit marketplace will be cleaned on Friday and temporary shops will be set up from Saturday. These shops will remain open for the public for at least till Eid."
The opportunity to set up temporary shops and continue business at a crucial time like this one will help the affected merchandisers recover some of the losses they incurred in Tuesday's fire, said traders.
"Traders of the Bangabazar market have invested a lot of money ahead of Eid. They took loans from banks and have debts from other sources. Huge products have been stockpiled for the upcoming Eid, which is a peak season for this market", said Arifur Rahman, the owner of JK Fashion which was burned to the ground by the fire.
"We are now hopeful that we may be able to recover some of the losses by doing business in the temporary shops," the trader said.
For three days, shopkeepers have been seen scouring through the rubble for anything that can be salvaged, such as cash or record books.
"There was Tk5 lakh cash in my drawer, along with a few record books of credit. I found nothing after a long search. I got nothing", said another trader Nurul Alam, breaking down in tears.
Most of the traders at Bangabazar have a sentimental attachment to this market as they have been doing business here for a long time.
"I have been doing business here for around 15 years. I dreamt of a bumper sale this Eid but my dream has been shattered overnight," said a shop owner Nur Hossain.
Echoing the same, another trader Azizul told TBS, "I was a child when I first came to Bangabazar around 22 years ago to work for a shop. I have spent my whole life here. The fire devastated the market but I still come here in the morning and stay till night, looking at the empty place."
The wood and steel-structured cloth market was completely destroyed by a fire that broke out on 4 April, gutting around 3,500 shops and affecting 5,000 traders.
A total of 48 firefighting units along with Bangladesh Army, Air Force, and Navy personnel worked together with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members to bring the fire under control.
A number of traders in the adjacent Annexco Tower were faced with loss as their products were looted by miscreants during the chaos.
Arifur Rahman, the owner of JB Collection (shop 37, Annexco Tower), said the fire managed to damage parts of the building's fourth and fifth floors. My shop was not affected but I moved the goods out of fear. Around 196 sacks of goods got stolen as I was moving 200 sacks of goods from my godown on the fourth floor. I lost about Tk2 crore worth of my goods."
"Like me, many traders in the Annexco Tower moved their goods in panic and their goods were looted in the midst of the clutter," he added.
