Shopping malls, markets and shops will close after 8:00 pm daily from today (Monday) to save electricity in the wake of a global fuel price hike.
State minister for labour Monnujan Sufian on Sunday made the announcement after a meeting with businesses held at her secretariat office in Dhaka city.
The closure decision comes a couple of days after the Prime Minister's Office issued a notice to this end.
"The meeting reached a consensus that everybody will obey the prime minister's instruction regarding closure of shops, markets and shopping malls after 8:00 pm daily from today (Monday)," she said.
They, however, requested the premier to allow activities for additional two hours to 10:00 pm from July 01 to 10 ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
The minister says she will apprise the PM of the traders' demand.
The government has initiated to strictly implement the labour law provision 114 to save electricity and fuel taking the global situation into consideration.
Prices of essential commodities and energy have gone up due to the ongoing the Russia-Ukraine war, she cites.
According to the labour-law provision, docks, wharves, station-terminal offices and airports, vegetable shops and others selling dairy products, bread, pasties, sweetmeats, flowers, medicine, surgical tools, and articles required for funerals, burials or cremation will remain outside the purview of restrictions.
Shops selling tobacco, cigar, cigarette, bidi, paan, liquid refreshments, newspapers or periodicals sold retail for consumption, ice, petrol pumps for retail sale of petrol and automobile service stations, barbers, any system of public conservancy or sanitation, any industry, business or undertaking which supplies power, light or water to the public; and clubs, hotels, restaurants, catering houses, cinemas or theatres will also remain outside the purview of restriction.
During the meeting, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry senior vice-president, however, requested to allow till 10:00 pm instead of 8:00 pm until July 10, saying businesses and traders missed two Eids and Pahela Baishakh due to Covid-19.
Md Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, also urged the government to keep shops, shopping malls and markets open until 10:00 pm from July 01-10 ahead of Eid.
Labour secretary Ehsan-E-Elahi, power division secretary Habibur Rahman, Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments inspector general Nasir Uddin Ahmed, and Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik League president Nur Kutub Alam Mannan, among others, attended the meeting.
munni_fe@yahoo.com