Business hit hard by hartal
Monday, 23 April 2012
Nizam Ahmed
Major wholesale markets of essential commodities including food, shopping malls and other business centres remained closed as transports were off roads due to the strike, traders said.
Deliveries of export and import consignments to and from the country's main port in Chittagong and also Mongla port remained suspended, port officials said
Offices of private firms and mills and factories other than garments remained closed as owners, staff and workers did not resume duties on Sunday.
Attendance at government offices were thin and some branches of commercial banks were virtually closed as clients refrained from transactions, feeling insecurity.
However, the strike was almost without violence in Dhaka on Sunday, although there were reports of some violence in Biswanth Upazila of Sylhet, where activists clashed with police.
The clash erupted as police tried to obstruct the activists from marching in the street chanting anti-government slogans. Police fired dozens of tear-gas shells and charged batons while the activists replied by pelting stones, witnesses said.
The management staff and workers of some factories that operated partially on Sunday in industrial areas in Dhaka and other places have left their work stations as the strike has been extended for another day.
"As the political situation is worsening day by day it may not be safe to defy the opposition call (for strike)," an owner of private firm at Mirpur told the FE.
However there was scanty transaction in foreign exchange market and inter bank dealings on Sunday, although general clients largely abstained from handling their day to day transactions.
There were also some limited operations at the country's international outlets including ports and airports on Sunday.
The production in the apparel sector was also unhindered as the industry continued to get concession from the opposition, that agreed long ago to keep the country's largest foreign exchange earner out of the purview of work-stoppages.
"It's a good side of our national politics of confrontation that it has been keeping garments out of the purview of strike since long," a leader of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) told the FE.
But still garment factories cannot operate fully as most staff fail to join duties due to absence of transports on strike days, the BGMEA leader added.
Meanwhile both the bourses of the country, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) operated on Sunday.
At the day's close of trading the DSE General Index fell by 0.33 per cent to 5,367.19. The general index of CSE fell 32.35 per cent to 15,654.35, market reports said.
There was some inter-bank foreign exchange deals on Sunday and the conversion rate of dollar and taka was almost at Thursday's level of dollar selling between Tk 81.80 to Tk 81.83.
However the volume of transaction was lesser compared to other week days, said an official of Bangladesh Bank Foreign Exchange wing. .
The inter-bank transactions was around 14.50 to 15 per cent in dull inter-bank transaction, an official of the Sonali Bank said.
Flights to and from international destinations to the three international airports of the country were also normal. No inbound or outbound international flights were cancelled or rescheduled. But some passengers rescheduled their travelling schedule, flight operators at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport said.
However a number of domestic flights were either cancelled or rescheduled, officials of domestic flight operations said.
Trains ran with scanty passengers, an official of Bangladesh Railway said
Operations at Chittagong port was almost normal with ships taking berths and leaving the port as usual and mother vessels discharging loads on lighter ships in the outer anchorage.
However the delivery of import and export consignments remained suspended during the strike hours.
There were 30 ships, mostly discharging import consignments, in all the berths including jetties and moorings of the port. Several ships took berths and equal number of ships left the port as usual.
The operations at the country's second port Mongla were also close to normal with ships discharging and loading cargoes. But there was also no delivery of import and export cargo to and from the port as trucks did not operate owing to the general strike.
Major wholesale markets of essential commodities including food, shopping malls and other business centres remained closed as transports were off roads due to the strike, traders said.
Deliveries of export and import consignments to and from the country's main port in Chittagong and also Mongla port remained suspended, port officials said
Offices of private firms and mills and factories other than garments remained closed as owners, staff and workers did not resume duties on Sunday.
Attendance at government offices were thin and some branches of commercial banks were virtually closed as clients refrained from transactions, feeling insecurity.
However, the strike was almost without violence in Dhaka on Sunday, although there were reports of some violence in Biswanth Upazila of Sylhet, where activists clashed with police.
The clash erupted as police tried to obstruct the activists from marching in the street chanting anti-government slogans. Police fired dozens of tear-gas shells and charged batons while the activists replied by pelting stones, witnesses said.
The management staff and workers of some factories that operated partially on Sunday in industrial areas in Dhaka and other places have left their work stations as the strike has been extended for another day.
"As the political situation is worsening day by day it may not be safe to defy the opposition call (for strike)," an owner of private firm at Mirpur told the FE.
However there was scanty transaction in foreign exchange market and inter bank dealings on Sunday, although general clients largely abstained from handling their day to day transactions.
There were also some limited operations at the country's international outlets including ports and airports on Sunday.
The production in the apparel sector was also unhindered as the industry continued to get concession from the opposition, that agreed long ago to keep the country's largest foreign exchange earner out of the purview of work-stoppages.
"It's a good side of our national politics of confrontation that it has been keeping garments out of the purview of strike since long," a leader of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) told the FE.
But still garment factories cannot operate fully as most staff fail to join duties due to absence of transports on strike days, the BGMEA leader added.
Meanwhile both the bourses of the country, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) operated on Sunday.
At the day's close of trading the DSE General Index fell by 0.33 per cent to 5,367.19. The general index of CSE fell 32.35 per cent to 15,654.35, market reports said.
There was some inter-bank foreign exchange deals on Sunday and the conversion rate of dollar and taka was almost at Thursday's level of dollar selling between Tk 81.80 to Tk 81.83.
However the volume of transaction was lesser compared to other week days, said an official of Bangladesh Bank Foreign Exchange wing. .
The inter-bank transactions was around 14.50 to 15 per cent in dull inter-bank transaction, an official of the Sonali Bank said.
Flights to and from international destinations to the three international airports of the country were also normal. No inbound or outbound international flights were cancelled or rescheduled. But some passengers rescheduled their travelling schedule, flight operators at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport said.
However a number of domestic flights were either cancelled or rescheduled, officials of domestic flight operations said.
Trains ran with scanty passengers, an official of Bangladesh Railway said
Operations at Chittagong port was almost normal with ships taking berths and leaving the port as usual and mother vessels discharging loads on lighter ships in the outer anchorage.
However the delivery of import and export consignments remained suspended during the strike hours.
There were 30 ships, mostly discharging import consignments, in all the berths including jetties and moorings of the port. Several ships took berths and equal number of ships left the port as usual.
The operations at the country's second port Mongla were also close to normal with ships discharging and loading cargoes. But there was also no delivery of import and export cargo to and from the port as trucks did not operate owing to the general strike.