Sukanta Halder

Just a day after a mass uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, a group of people, introducing themselves as activists of a major political party, visited an outlet of a leading footwear maker in Rangpur and demanded Tk 5 lakh in return for allowing the showroom to operate.

Public funds will be used to pay for repairs to Dhaka Metro Rail stations in the capital’s Kazipara and Mirpur-10 areas as the popular mass rapid transit system is uninsured

Some 200 officials of Sonali Life Insurance Company, whose former chairman and family members were earlier found to have embezzled at least Tk 187.84 crore, staged a demonstration today bringing corruption allegations against the insurance regulator’s chairman and demanding his resignation

Businesses in Bangladesh, especially those that mostly deal with cash transactions, yesterday said they are contending with a liquidity crunch as the country’s central bank has placed a limit on daily cash withdrawals from banks.

Businesses hope the situation may get better from next week

Fearing looting and vandalism amidst the political crisis that culminated in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation following 15 years at the helm of an iron-fisted regime, many shops and malls in the country were closed yesterday, causing huge losses for businesses.

The risk of violence amidst a political crisis that culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday disrupted supply chains of essential food commodities, hitting consumers, traders and farmers.

The owners of retail outlets in Bangladesh fear they could incur massive losses due to the ongoing unrest stemming from a student movement seeking the resignation of the government.

Accommodation costs in Bangladesh have risen further amid persistently high inflation during the April-June period this year, placing an additional burden on many of the country’s middle and lower-income people.

The tour operators in Bangladesh suffered financial losses due to cancellation of pre-scheduled tours by foreign tourists who sought to avoid travelling in fear of violence and unrest centring the quota reform movement.

Malls and markets in Dhaka and other major cities have been hit hard by spiralling unrest across the country following the deaths of over 200 people, including students, during the quota reform movement in recent weeks.

Luxury hotels in Dhaka are suffering from a dearth of customers as foreigners and locals are avoiding travel in fear of unrest centring the quota reform movement, according to industry people.

Eateries in Dhaka are seeing a substantial drop in takings because of the ongoing unrest and the nationwide curfew.

The students’ movement for reforming the quota system in public jobs and the subsequent violence and curfew have adversely affected businesses, said Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association.

Shopping malls and markets in the capital opened yesterday, after being closed for four consecutive days, but the presence of buyers was very low.

Day labourers in Dhaka are among those who are suffering the most due to the ongoing unrest along with the curfew imposed by the government to stem the violence.

“I can’t get you to understand how I managed to pay for meals over the past four days,” a dejected labourer, Muzahid Hossain, said yesterday.

Rahidul Islam, a wholesaler at Mahasthan Bazar, one of the biggest wholesale markets in Bogura, said they cannot send fresh farm produce to Dhaka and other major cities due to the unavailability of trucks.

As consumers hit the markets yesterday amid the nationwide curfew, they had to pay higher prices due to supply of essentials -- rice, vegetables, eggs, etc. -- facing disruptions for the third consecutive day.

The ongoing unrest centering the quota reform movement has ruptured the supply chain of essentials and other commodities, causing their prices to soar.