Crowds surge at shopping malls ahead of Durga Puja

The shopping malls across Dhaka – especially Bashundhara City, New Market, Gausia and Chandni Chawk – are witnessing a huge surge of shoppers ahead of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Bangali Hindu community that is set to begin on Monday.

In a spot visit on Saturday, The Business Post witnessed large crowds at all popular shopping destinations in the capital. The shop owners and staff too were busy catering to the rush of customers.

However, violations of social distancing rules were seen in some major shopping malls in Nilkhet and Dhaka College areas.

Sales supervisor at Cats Eye in Bashundhara City Md Jonny said, “Our sales volume has increased ahead of the Durga Puja as a large number of customers are now visiting our showrooms. We are getting a very positive response from them.”

Sales manager at Rise Abdul Hamid Rasel said, “Our sales growth will go up further within this week. Aside from the Hindu community, customers from all corners of the society are visiting our showrooms.”

Several businesses have expressed their satisfaction over the recent sales volume. Some said the recent surge in sales is helping the shops recover from significant losses they had suffered during Covid-19 restrictions.

Speaking to The Business Post, Bashundhara Shopping Mall Shop Owners Association’s President MA Hannan Azad said, “Our sales are currently gearing up as there are no Covid-19 lockdown measures in the country.

“However, we are strictly following health safety guidelines in our shopping mall. Our team is monitoring the shop owners and customers, ensuring that the health guidelines are being followed during business hours.”

Shyamal Kanti Ghosh was visiting the Gausia market along with his family on Friday. “I am here to buy new dresses for my family. I also plan to buy some new clothes for my other relatives on the occasion of Durga Puja festival,” he told the correspondent.

Apu Ahmed, a cloth trader at Chandni Chawk, said, “We are very busy as our sales have doubled. The presence of customers has also increased significantly compared to the past week. I am optimistic that our sales figure will continue to rise in the coming days.”

On August 11, the government decided not to extend the virus lockdown considering its impact on the economy, and gave permission to reopen shops, shopping malls and transportation services.

Previously on July 13, the government decided to ease lockdown restrictions for eight days during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays. Later, it imposed the second round of lockdown from July 23 and extended it till August 10.