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A fire that broke out at the Hazrat Shahjalal book market in the capital’s Nilkhet area on Tuesday evening destroyed books worth at least Tk 4.5 crore.
The fire gutted 30 book stores filled with medical, engineering, BCS and university-college books, traders claimed, adding that they have been stocking up a large number of books after the recent withdrawal of Covid-19 restrictions.
Hazrat Shahjalal book market’s General Secretary Rasel Rahman said, “Each of the damaged stores had books worth around Tk 15 lakh in their inventories. We were the one of the key survivors of the pandemic because the education institutions remained closed amid the crisis.
“Bookstore owners were waiting for good sales this academic season, but the fire has turned their dreams into ashes. Most of the books suffered water damage when the Fire Service and Civil Defence units were dousing the flames.”
The fire erupted around 7:45pm on Tuesday and ten firefighting units brought the blaze under control at 8:50pm, Rozina Islam, duty officer of fire service told the media. No casualty has been reported in this incident.
Eyewitnesses say the fire broke out from Friend Books and Stationary, which was undergoing renovation on the occasion of Ekushey February, and workers were using a welding machine there. Tuesday was also the weekend holiday of the market.
Nazir Hossain, owner of Khaza Book and Stationary, said, “We rushed to the spot after hearing about the fire that started out from Friend Books and Stationary. The shop was stocked with plastic products such as pens, glue, rubber and other stationary items.
“The fire quickly spread out to the four adjacent stationery shops, then engulfed the entire market in a matter of minutes.”
Hazrat Shahjalal Book Market Association says most shop owners have lost their capital, and they barely remained afloat through loans in the last 26 months after the Covid-19 pandemic struck Bangladesh. The fire has devastated these book owners.
Tarikul Islam Tapan, proprietor of Tapan Book store, said he had recently stocked books worth Tk 12 lakh, but all of those were gutted and damaged by water. Tapan and many other bookstore owners have sought compensation from the government to tackle this crisis.
Fire Service and Civil Defence’s Director (Operation and Maintenance) Lt Colonel Zillur Rahman had initially told the media that they suspect an electrical malfunction causing the fire, and the matter is under investigation.
