Home ›› 01 May 2023 ›› Front
Against a pledge of Tk 6 crore for the fund formed to help the affected traders of the burnt Bangabazar market, a little over Tk 4 crore has been deposited so far in the account.
Sources from the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association who are involved in raising the fund confirmed this to The Business Post.
Madhumati Bank’s pledge of Tk 1 crore is expected to be deposited within the next few days and FBCCI’s pledge of the same amount will follow, informed the sources.
Helal Uddin, president of the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association and a joint account holder of the fund, said, “No decision has yet been made over how the money will be disbursed. The money deposited in the account will be handed over to DSCC Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh, after Salman F Rahman, private industry and investment adviser to the PM, comes back to the country.
They will decide how to disburse the money.”
In reply to a query, he said, “This money is only to provide cash assistance to the affected traders. No decision has been made to rebuild the market using this money.”
“It is impossible to make up the total losses incurred by the traders. However, a fixed amount can be disbursed following the list of affected traders that has been made,” he added.
Meanwhile, sources involved in the fund raising said traders may receive financial aid based on the number of affected traders and the entire sum of money put into the fund, not based on the amount of their losses.
According to the affected traders, 3,845 traders of Bangabazar suffered a total loss of Tk 700 crore while according to the investigation committee’s report, the amount of loss was Tk 350 crore.
In a press conference on 8 April, Bangladesh Shop Owners Association announced that a bank account at IFIC Bank has been opened to raise a fund for the businessmen affected by the fire in the Bangabazar market. The business leaders asked those who can contribute from home and abroad to deposit money to the savings account number (0200094066031).
According to the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, out of the Tk 4 crores deposited, the largest amount of Tk 2 crore was given by the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
Apart from this, lawmaker form Cumilla Sadar constituency AKM Bahauddin Bahar and the businessmen of the area have given Tk 32 lakh. The transgender community contributed Tk 22 lakh. Moreover, various individuals and organisations have helped and are still helping by donating 5-10 lakh each.
In addition, Tk 9 crore was given by the prime minister to the shop employees before Eid from where each employee received Tk 25,000.
However, several traders claimed that the traders who managed to get their names on the administration’s list the day after the fire broke out received the PM’s donation while those who could not do so did not get it. Therefore, many of the affected businessmen gave salaries and Eid bonuses to their employees from their own funds.
Rebuilding of the market demanded
During a visit on Saturday, this reporter found that traders, who took position before Eid for their shops in a field made of bricks and sand in the area of the burned-down market, are still there. Some traders were showcasing products to sell, but the majority of the positions were found empty.
Talking to The Business Post, a number of traders demanded reconstruction of the market as soon as possible so that they can restart their business. Otherwise, they don’t have the capacity to cover the recurring losses.
They said that many of the affected traders have started business in adjacent markets while others could not restart their business as they have lost everything. Many are staying at the venue in hopes of the market rebuilding.
