‘We can’t make up for the losses’

After staying closed for two days due to violent clashes between shop owners and students, Dhaka New Market, Chandrima Super Market and other shopping malls in the area opened their doors for customers on Thursday.

But footfall in the markets was a fraction of what it usually is during the Eid season. The shop keepers fear that the clash will greatly hamper their Eid business and they won’t be able to make up for the losses.

During the clash, more than 50 shops in the Nurjahan Super Market were set on fire. The cashbox and all clothes of five shops were completely burnt to ashes. The owners of those shops are feeling helpless.

On Wednesday midnight, the shop owners came to an understanding with the Dhaka College students about ‘coexistence’. After that, all shops in the New Market and Chandrima market were open for business by 10:30 AM on Thursday, as were nearly all of the other shopping malls in the area.

But there were hardly in customers in any of the malls. In New Market and Chandrima market, there were particularly very few shoppers.

Owner of Anisha Fashion, a shop inside Chandrima market, Md Jafor said, “The customers are most probably not coming to this area out of fear. From morning till 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I have sold just three pants. But I am hoping that from tomorrow (Friday), sales will increase.” Owner of MR Collection Nazrul Islam had a slightly more optimistic take as he said, although there is some fear among the shoppers, the number of customers is gradually increasing.

The proprietor of Badhon Fashion in New Market, Nurul Amin said, “If we had the usual Eid season footfall, you wouldn’t be able to stand here properly. This Eid I had hoped to make up for the losses I incurred during Covid-19, but now I feel I will still be facing losses."

Al Amin, owner of Dhaka Gallery inside New Market, said, “Covid-19 hampered my business for two years. Now the business is completely finished.” Showing his ledger, Al Amin said, “Even on the day the clashes started (Monday), I sold Tk 52,000 worth of clothes. But by this (Thursday) afternoon, I have only made Tk 5000 worth of sale.”

Chandrima Super Market Shop Owners Association president Monzur Ahmed said, during Eid season, each shop on an average makes Tk 50,000 worth of sales every day. That means in the last two days, every shop has suffered Tk 2 crore worth of losses. If the number of shoppers doesn’t increase, the losses will get heavier.

Meanwhile, some shop owners said that to minimise losses they are selling clothes with little profit. Owner of Dhaka Fashion Md Sohel Matobbor said, “For Eid, I have imported a lot of clothes for the shop, but as there are few customers, I am selling the clothes with limited profit.”

Some of the shop employees expressed fear about their salaries and Eid bonuses. Mehedi Hasan, an employee of a shop in New Market, said, “We are like day labourers. Sales were halted for two years. It will definitely affect our salary and bonus. Everyone has a family. I don’t know what’s going to happen to us this Eid.”

Since the malls reopened, the shop owners’ association leaders are making announcements after every few minutes, asking fellow shop owners and employees to behave well with the customers. They have also evicted temporary shops inside the market compound which were blocking movement of customers.

New Market Shop Owners Association Dewan Aminul Islam Shahin said, “We are taking every necessary step to ensure that the customers can shop without any hassle. If anyone lodges any complaint, the association will investigate it. If the allegations are proven true, we will take steps against the employees and shop owners.”

During the clashes the Nurjahan Market, situated opposite of Dhaka College, was set on fire. Nurjahan Market Shop Owners Association’s treasurer Md Mohsin said, all products of five shops were burnt to ashes. Other than that, more than 50 shops now have half burnt clothes, which can’t be sold. All in all, the shop owners incurred losses of more than Tk 12 crores in the fire.

Mohakhali resident Nahida Nafrin complained that she was harassed by shop keepers in the Chadni Chawk Shopping Complex. Her complaint is that when she asked the price of a saree, the sellers refused to tell her the price and told her first select a saree to buy. After she showed them the saree she has selected, they asked an absurd amount for it. When she refused to buy it at such a steep rate, they verbally insulted her.

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashfaq-Ul-Alam Niloy