Bangabazar traders set up makeshift shops

Traders of Bangabazar, whose businesses burned down in the recent fire at the market, set up temporary shops on the streets and footpaths at the site of the incident on Saturday, reports UNB.
Around 800 traders displayed their stocks since Saturday morning. They set up their makeshift shops under the flyover, on the south side of Bangabazar Market.
Many traders are sitting with the clothes they were able to save from the devastating fire last Tuesday. Even though there is a crowd around the shops, sales are yet to pick up.
The traders setting up the temporary shops said they were displaying whatever goods they could save from the Bangabazar Market fire.
Aynal Hossain was sitting at his shop under the flyover. He told the news agency that he had two shops in Bangabazar Market. Both shops were burnt to ashes.
"I was able to move some stuff. So I brought it here. No sale yet, because our regular customers do not know the address of the shop. Only Allah knows how we will celebrate this Eid," he said.
Trader Shahidul Islam had a shop in Bangabazar, selling jeans and shirts. The shop burnt to ashes and now he has also set up shop on the footpath.
"Everything is over. There is no money for food at home. So, I was forced to set up shop on the footpath," he lamented.
Last Tuesday, (April 4) at 6:10 am, a terrible fire broke out in Bangabazar complex in the capital. Bongo Market, Gulistan Market, Mahanagar Shopping Complex, Adarsha Market and Annex Tower were burnt down. Businessmen claim that they have lost around Tk 20 billion (2000 crore) in the fire.
FE Report adds: Collective negligence of stakeholders, including government agencies and business owners, are to blame for the fire incident at a semiformal market like Bangabazar, urban planners told a webinar on Saturday.
The regulators and other government agencies should adopt a zero-tolerance policy while implementing rule of law to protect lives and property during any disaster at such facilities.
They made the observations at a webinar styled 'Blaze in Bangabazar and fire risk of semiformal markets: Observations of IPD' hosted by the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD).
IPD adviser Dr Md Akter Mahmud, Jahangirnagar University associate professor of urban and regional planning Farhadur Reza and planner Abu Taher joined the webinar, among others.
IPD executive director Dr Adil Mohammed Khan made a presentation at the programme.
Mr Khan said traders repeatedly protested against the fire service authorities' notice announcing the probable risk at the market, citing it as a conspiracy to prevent them from doing business.
"Even they (traders) went to the High Court to repel the redevelopment plan undertaken by the city corporation," he said.
Mr Khan further said that the shop owners told the media that the move to redevelop the market was a move to evict them.
Government organisations like the city corporation and the fire service remained conservative only through issuing a notice despite Bangabazar Market has been identified as highly prone to fire, he said.
"The fire service and the city corporation have issued notice for 10 times since 2017," he said.
"Despite this," he said, "no measures were taken to prevent fire incidence at the market, reflecting negative reality of urban management and rule of law."
Unless such trend is not reined in, disasters like fire in the shopping malls or multi-storey structures will in increase in future, he presaged.
Mr Khan said characteristics of a semiformal market include shops and alleys huddled with merchandise, narrow walkways, risky electric wiring and no emergency exit.
"Highly inflammable and vulnerable materials are used for construction of those markets," he cited.
IPD adviser Dr Md Akter Mahmud underlined the need for conducting a detailed survey of semiformal markets across the country, including Dhaka city, to define the way forward as per the building code and fire code.
"The state must take strict measures as per rules and regulations if markets fail to take appropriate measures for fire protection within a specified time."
Dr Mahmud highlighted the necessity for semiformal markets for shoppers to buy merchandise at an affordable price.
The IPD presented a set of recommendations to prevent mishaps in shopping centres, including the strengthening of the internal fire-extinguishing system, modernisation of fire service, arranging special equipment for unplanned area and narrow roads.
It also suggested preparing volunteers to tackle disasters, form a fire safety committee and organise fire drills on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, traders at Bangabazar have expressed high hopes for the resumption of business activities very soon.
Bangabazar Shops Owners Association general secretary Md Jahirul Islam said workers are doing the cleaning round the clock to remove burnt substances from the gutted market.
He said this at a press briefing hosted on the west side of Annexco Tower at Bangabazar on Saturday.
They will sit with Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh today (Sunday) to resume trading by setting up shops at the marketplace.
They have demanded that the government provide financial assistance and give scope to set up their shops at the market for business.
Mr Islam said they sold burnt shutters, corrugated iron sheets, grills and others at an estimated Tk 4.0 million.
The money will be deposited in a bank account opened to raise funds to support the affected traders.
They will also collect further assistance and distribute the funds to the affected traders through mayor Taposh.
Bangladesh Shops Owners Association president Helal Uddin, Bangabazar Complex Shops Owners Association president Md Nazmul Huda and others at Banga Market, Gulistan Market, Mohanagar Shopping Complex, Adarsha Market and Annexco Tower (all collectively called 'Bangabazar Market') were also present there.
Visiting the area on Saturday, the FE found the charred remains of shops were being removed from the site.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq said the police were investigating whether the Bangabazar fire occurred due to a conflict among traders of the market.
He said this while responding to a media query at a programme organised by the Dhaka Debate for Democracy at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) the same day.
Mr Faruq said he learned from the media that there was a rift among Bangabazar traders on the issue of building a multi-storey on the Bangabazar market site.
He, however, said the fire service and civil defence is also investigating what actually caused the fire.
The DMP chief said police have so far arrested 11 persons in a case in connection with an attack on firemen while they were in action to douse the flame.
The attack might be preplanned, he apprehended.
In another development, Mr Faruq said the militants who were snatched away from court compound would be recaptured soon by law-enforcement agencies.
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