Home ›› 12 Apr 2023 ›› Front
Sheikh Farid Ahmed Tanvir, 35, a businessman at Bangabazar Complex, was crying and roaming with a bunch of keys on the burnt-market site in the capital after he lost everything in the devastating fire on April 4.
His three-year-old son has been undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for several days. On the other hand, Tanvir was struggling to arrange meals three times for his 10-member family after his shops were gutted in the massive fire.
“I have been doing business for the last 15 years at Bangabazar Complex with my brother. But I set up my own business three months back, taking huge loans from businesses and relatives.
I had a large stock of products ahead of Ramadan, but all things were burnt to ashes. Now I have nothing except a bunch of keys,” Tanvir told The Business Post.
He also said that he had two shops on the first floor of the three-storey tin-shed market. The fire gutted his products worth about Tk20 lakh, he added.
“Now I need urgent financial support to make a comeback so that I can arrange a handful of meals for my family members. Besides, my son was admitted to DMCH for treatment. How I will repay my loan and pay house rent or purchase foods for survival? I don’t know what I can do now,” he said.
Another businessman Billal Hossain, 48, said he had two shops--Bismillah Garments and Yasin Panjabi--on the first floor and a showroom of Bismillah Garments on the second floor of the market.
“The fire burnt down all my shops causing a loss of Tk96 lakh. I stocked a wide range of products, including Punjabi and pants as the biggest religious festival of the Muslims is nearing. In fact, we wait for such a festival to do good business and make profits. But this year we lost all,” he added.
Billal said, “Due to Covid-19 pandemic, our business was dull. We have to count a huge loss in the last two years. We thought that we could stage a comeback this year.”
“After hearing the news about the fire incident, I rushed to the spot along with my employees, and tried hard to save some products from the fire risking my life. But our products were stolen by outsiders.”
He added that more than 5,000 shops were burnt in the fire that threw around 15,000-20,000 people out of jobs.
The businessman also urged the government to allocate permanent space for them to run business. “Today, I purchased some products from my wholesalers in arrears, and sat temporarily under Hanif flyover to sell these products so that we can arrange meals now,” he added.
Talking to The Business Post, Beauty Begum, 62, said she had a shop in the market which was her only earning source. “My husband is paralysed. We have no children. I got Tk11,500 as rent. Now I have no way to earn money from any other sources. How I can maintain my family? How I will survive?” she lamented.
Plight of employees
Mahbubul Islam, 33, who hails from Shariatpur district, has been doing job at Bangabazar for the last 12 years. “I used to work at Alauddin Trailers on the third floor of Mohanagar market. I stitched jeans pants based on production, and earned Tk500-Tk1,000 per day. Now I am looking for a job. If I don’t get job, I have to go back home,” he added.
“My family had to leave Dhaka several months ago due to high inflation. Now they are staying in Jajira upazila of Shariatpur. I urge the city corporation and the government to donate money to the employees so that we can celebrate Eid with our children and other family members,” he also said.
Dokan Malik Samity President Helal Uddin said the loss caused by the devastating fire is to be more than Tk1,000 crore. As many as 5,000 shops were burnt to ashes on April 4.
“We are collecting funds to support the affected businesses and employees. Many come to support the victims. Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has pledged to donate Tk1 crore while the third gender community has donated Tk22 lakh and the people from Cumilla donated Tk26 lakh,” he informed.
He also expressed the hope that the government would come forward and provide all-out support to the victims.
Experts’ opinions
Executive Director of Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) Prof Dr Adil Mohammed Khan said the government authorities as well as the city corporation cannot avoid responsibility for the fire incident.
“The Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) authority sent warning notices 10 times about the risk of a fire in the market. But the authority concerned did not pay heed to it or take any steps in this regard,” he claimed.
Before 1985, it was a playground. Later, the City Corporation built the market on this playground, the urban planner said, adding that the warning sent by a government agency to another agency went unheeded.
As a result, he said, such incident occurs frequently in the country. “If the authorities concerned work sincerely, the country will see a radical change. The government agencies should force the people to follow building codes. If someone violates the rules, they must be brought to book,” he also said.
Adil suggested modernising the FSCD and enhancing its capacity to reduce the fire casualties, saying that the department failed to control the fire at Bangabazar timely.
Due to a lack of proper enforcement of laws, such fire incidents are recurring in Dhaka. “We have not taken lesson from the devastating fire at Nimtali in 2010 and Chawkbazar in 2019.”
“If the 17-point recommendations made by the probe committee were implemented in the Nimtali incident, such incidents might not have happened again.”
Talking to the Business Post, senior assistant commissioner and executive magistrate Md Abdullah Al Rony said they are collecting the data on shop owners and employees. “We set up a camp adjacent to the burnt market on April 5. After collecting all data, we will scrutinise it. Later, our high officials will decide on what they will take next course,” he added.
