Economic activity stalls amid curfew

Economic activity stalls and consumer supplies are running out in the capital and other cities as Bangladesh remains curfew-bound under government order to restore peace after bloodletting violence.
Military armoured vehicles were seen rolling out of cantonments onto city streets on Saturday morning as the government on Friday midnight decided to impose countrywide curfew and deploy army -- armed with 'shoot-sight order' -- "in aid to civil power" after daylong street rioting during job-quota protests.
Life and business virtually came to a halt as people kept indoors save those who came out on emergencies or some lookers-on witnessing how curfew looks like.
As the dust settles for now, following massive upheavals after prolonged protests erupted into bloodletting street rioting following opposition political parties' solidarity participation in the demonstrations, scars of ransack and arson attacks on some government installations like BTV, Data Centre, Bridges Building and two metro-rail stations began coming out from spot views.
Nearly a hundred people, including students and two journalists, are reported killed and several thousand injured in widespread clashes during the countrywide 'Complete Shutdown' at the culmination of the quota protests.
Internet blackout following the vandalizing of data centre cut off the country from the world on the information superhighway of communications, disrupting umpteen services, including business contact and newspaper production.
The country's external trade took a knock as port-to-production links snapped.
Already pricey daily necessaries hit new highs as supply lines largely remain cut-off.
"Supplies are running out, we are concerned about what next," many a kitchen-market vendor and grocer said as people went shopping during a two-hour relaxation of the curfew between 12 noon and 2:00pm.
The current spell of curfew continues until 10:00am today, pending Supreme Court hearings on the quota issue.
The urgent apex-court hearing is set for today on the High Court verdict reinstating an aggregate 56-percent quota in government recruitment. And Attorney-General Amin Uddin indicated the court order could come forthwith on the day following the hearings, advanced from earlier-set August 7.
The decision on curfew and army deployment came from a meeting of the ruling Swami League-led 14-party alliance at Ganobhaban on Friday night with Prime Minister and AL chief Sheikh Hasina in the chair, said media reports.
Meanwhile, the student protesters made a pause and handed the government an eighth-point charter of demands with the foremost one asking for slashing the job quota to 5.0 per cent and ratifying that by an urgent act of parliament.
As communications halted, the government Saturday declared a two-day general holiday for Sunday-Monday.