The price of hartal

The several rounds of nationwide hartal (shutdown), enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami protesting recent verdicts against party top leaders has hurt the country’s economy. Shops, garments, and transports sectors have been badly hit. Since the hartals are usually marked by violence, ordinary people and businessmen are gripped by fear on strike days. Jamaat observed three days of strike on last Thursday, Sunday and this Monday after its party chief Matiur Rahman Nizami had been sentenced to death for 1971 war crimes. Lifting the strike only for a day for ‘Holy Ashura’, Jamaat declared a fresh round of strikes for Wednesday and Thursday in protest against the death verdicts of its leaders Mir Quasem Ali and Muhammad Kamarruzzaman. The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) expressed deep concern over Jamaat’s shutdowns. Small businesses mostly bore the brunt. Nearly 2.6 million shops faced a difficult time. President of the Bangladesh Shop Owners’ Association SA Kader Kiron said, ‘All shops together have a daily transaction of Tk 30 billion. On a strike day, our daily sale drops sharply. But we have to pay the daily operating costs. During strikes, we incur a daily loss of Tk 4b,’ he said. Vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturer and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Md Shahidullah Azim said RMG exporters face shipment delays. A continuous strike also disrupts production and the overall supply chain. Azim said: ‘Time is a crucial factor in this business. Strike disrupts timely shipment of goods. If we fail to send the goods on schedule, we run the risk of losing our buyers. To retain the current buyers, we send our goods by air, bearing extra cost and incurring losses.’ According to a Bangladesh Bus and Truck Owners Association (BBTOA) estimate, owners face a daily loss of Tk 3b on strike days. As the strikes in recent years have often turned violent, owners stop inter-city bus operations during shutdowns. Moreover, buses and trucks are not properly insured. BBTOA Chairman Faruk Talukder said insurance companies are reluctant to insure vehicles as accidents occur all too frequently on Bangladesh’s streets and highways, according to bdnews24.com.