Bangabazar traders want to do business in tents until market constructed
Authorities said how long they can run their business in the makeshift shops there will be decided in a meeting next week
Bangabazar traders want to continue their business in makeshift shops until the construction of a new market for them starts, although the authorities allowed them to sell goods temporarily until Eid-ul-Fitr.
However, the authorities said no decision has been taken about how long they can run their business in the makeshift shops there.
On 4 April, a fire at Bangabazar, the largest clothing marketplace in Bangladesh, destroyed thousands of shops. After that, in view of the demands of the traders, the debris were removed, and an area of 1.79 acre was levelled after laying bricks. Dhaka South City Corporation allowed traders to sell goods temporarily till Eid-ul-Fitr.
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A visit to the market on Friday, the weekly closing day of the market, revealed that boundaries were being set up around the shops with bamboo. Overhead covers were set up to protect goods from sun and rain.
Md Main Uddin, owner of Rowshin Ara Garments, said, "We have been selling clothes since the Eid holidays. We have heard that building construction will not start here before Eid-ul-Azha. So, we are taking preparation to sell clothes here till next Eid."
He said he sells goods worth Tk1,000-Tk2,000 per day.
He further said that he had invested all his income in business and if the government does not build a market for them within a year, his family has to starve.
Md Rasel Sabrin, chief asset office of Dhaka South, told TBS that a meeting between the City Corporation and traders next week will decide for how long the traders will be allowed to carry on their business there.
On 2 May, Dhaka South Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said, "If the businessmen in Bangbazar want, we will move towards the construction of new buildings. Once the construction of the market starts, it will be done soon."
Mohammad Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, told TBS, "The City Corporation should take measures so that it becomes a full-fledged market. We will hold a meeting with the City Corporation on this matter."
The financial loss from the devastating fire that burned down Bangabazar Complex Market is estimated at Tk303.05 crore, according to the probe report of the Dhaka South City Corporation.
According to the investigation report, the fire caused a financial loss of Tk288.35 crore by burning down goods stored at 3,845 shops in seven markets of the complex.
