City business centres witness poor presence of customers

The city’s business centres wore a dessert-look on Saturday, hours before the general election, due to insignificant presence of customers.
The day was a weekly holiday when people usually crowd the shopping malls, restaurants, kitchen markets, and other trading places, but it was absent this time, the FE found visiting key markets and shopping places.
“Most of the city dwellers are not interested to go out apprehending the possibilities of pre-poll violence,” said Riaz Hossain, a vegetable vendor at Jafrabad of Mohammadpur in the city.
He said the number of customers declined by 70-80 per cent on Saturday compared to that of the normal times.
Mohammad Faizul, a vegetable wholesaler at Sadeq Khan Krishi Market under Beribadh-Rayer Bazar area in the city, said 800-850 retailers come to the place daily, but only 150 retailers entered the market till Saturday noon.
Sanwar Hossain, conductor of a human howler (locally known as maxi service) on Gabtoli-Nowabgonj Bazar route, came to Rayer Bazar on the day. He said he has to go to the markets every day to buy vegetable and fish for his family as he has no refrigerator at home.
Many people like him would have to face trouble if the markets remain close on the election-day.
Mohammadpur Krishi Market, Karwan Bazar and Newmarket Banalata Kitchen Market also witnessed low presence of consumers on the day.
President of Uttar Karwan Bazar Wholesalers Welfare Association Hafez Khan, told the FE that the transaction declined by 50 per cent at Karwan Bazar. The condition might change from Monday if no unexpected incident happens in the election, he said.
New Market and Bangabazar, two busiest shopping places during the weekly holidays, also got few customers in this peak winter season.
The shop owners at Badruddoza Market, Nurjahan Market, Globe Market, Chandrima Market, Chak Market, Gausia and other shopping malls in New Market area expressed their dissatisfaction over poor sales in this season.
Javed Ali Khan, owner of Icche Fashion at Nurjahan Market, said his sales stood only around Tk 2,000 on Saturday. “We usually sell warm cloths worth Tk 0.25 million to 0.3 million per day during the month of December,” he said.
Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity, an association of 2.0 million shop owners in the country, told the FE that transactions of shop owners in the city dropped significantly due to the polls.
He said the restriction on transportation and public movement, imposed by the election commission and the law enforcers, was discouraging people’s gathering before the polls. “And, that is affecting our business,” he said.
He also pointed out that many of the city dwellers have left the capital to cast their votes at their villages and hometowns which also emptied the city. He said the situation might change from Monday, after the poll.
However, the election commission (EC) has imposed general restrictions on all types of motor vehicles, including public and private transports, ahead of the general election.
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