35 hurt, 10,000 shops closed
Friday, 29 January 2010
Our Correspondent
CHITTAGONG, Jan 28: Repeated attacks on the retail shoppers by the street vendors left at least 35 people injured and a number of shops vandalised and destroyed in arson attacks in the city's busiest area, only 200 yards off the Kotwali police station today.
At least 10,000 retail shops of essential commodities in as many as 110 markets including the city's largest retail market were closed sine die from this morning protesting the attack on the retailers by the street hawkers last night.
The retailers were demanding eviction of the hawkers on the Jubilee Road at the entrance of the city's largest retail market alleging that the hawkers had been deliberately obstructing the customers while entering Reazuddin Bazar.
President of Reazuddin Bazar Banik Samity Salamat Ali on Wednesday evening evicted three hawkers from the southern entrance of Reazuddin Bazar on the Station Road and urged them not to obstruct the customers entering the Bazar.
At this a group of angry hawkers attacked the employees of some retail shops. In retaliation the employees of the retail shoppers set fire to some make-shift hawker sheds on the Jubilee Road at around 8.00 pm yesterday.
The brawl led to widespread violence and arson by the hawkers this morning. They set fire to four to five shops on the Station Road.
Valuables worth several lakhs of Taka in five to six shops in the Bandar Bitan and Nupur Market of Reazuddin Bazar, Bank Asia Station Road branch and Heart of City residential hotel were damaged by arson and brick stones thrown by the hawkers. They set fire to the shops by throwing bottles containing petrol from the rooftop of the Jalsa Market, police said.
The hawkers also attacked the leaders of Reazuddin Bazar Banik Samity in front of the Book Society Market on their return from the meeting with CMP Commissioner M. Moniruzzaman at the CMP headquarters, who called them to settle the problem with the hawkers. In the meeting the police commissioner assured the Banik Samity leaders that the police would evict the hawkers from all the entrances of the Reazuddin Bazar within a few days.
CHITTAGONG, Jan 28: Repeated attacks on the retail shoppers by the street vendors left at least 35 people injured and a number of shops vandalised and destroyed in arson attacks in the city's busiest area, only 200 yards off the Kotwali police station today.
At least 10,000 retail shops of essential commodities in as many as 110 markets including the city's largest retail market were closed sine die from this morning protesting the attack on the retailers by the street hawkers last night.
The retailers were demanding eviction of the hawkers on the Jubilee Road at the entrance of the city's largest retail market alleging that the hawkers had been deliberately obstructing the customers while entering Reazuddin Bazar.
President of Reazuddin Bazar Banik Samity Salamat Ali on Wednesday evening evicted three hawkers from the southern entrance of Reazuddin Bazar on the Station Road and urged them not to obstruct the customers entering the Bazar.
At this a group of angry hawkers attacked the employees of some retail shops. In retaliation the employees of the retail shoppers set fire to some make-shift hawker sheds on the Jubilee Road at around 8.00 pm yesterday.
The brawl led to widespread violence and arson by the hawkers this morning. They set fire to four to five shops on the Station Road.
Valuables worth several lakhs of Taka in five to six shops in the Bandar Bitan and Nupur Market of Reazuddin Bazar, Bank Asia Station Road branch and Heart of City residential hotel were damaged by arson and brick stones thrown by the hawkers. They set fire to the shops by throwing bottles containing petrol from the rooftop of the Jalsa Market, police said.
The hawkers also attacked the leaders of Reazuddin Bazar Banik Samity in front of the Book Society Market on their return from the meeting with CMP Commissioner M. Moniruzzaman at the CMP headquarters, who called them to settle the problem with the hawkers. In the meeting the police commissioner assured the Banik Samity leaders that the police would evict the hawkers from all the entrances of the Reazuddin Bazar within a few days.