Restore hope and dignity to the traders

Now that the ashes of the devastating fire that ravaged through Bangabazar Shopping Complex have somewhat settled, we urge the government to take urgent steps to assist and compensate the affected businessmen ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr and help them rebuild their businesses. We are reassured by the prime minister's pledge that support will be provided to the traders who incurred losses in the fire, and hope that a comprehensive compensation package will be devised that covers property damage, lost inventory, lost income and other forms of losses suffered by the traders. Moving forward, we must also ensure an enabling environment for the affected traders to reconstruct their businesses on the site.

The traders in Bangabazar are predominantly small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs who do not have other businesses or properties to fall back on. According to the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, owners of at least 5,000 stores – who had stocked up on supplies in anticipation of the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration – saw their livelihoods destroyed in an instant. Many of them  had invested their entire savings and had been working for years to build their businesses. This loss will have a ripple effect on their families, employees, and the wider community. This unforeseen devastation of livelihoods is especially severe given the current economic climate, which has already made it difficult for businesses to survive. And it is not just the traders who have lost their businesses; the entire Bangabazar area is suffering from a significant loss of economic activity. Suppliers, for instance, who are owed money from multiple shops – some as much as Tk 40 lakh – now have no means of recovering them. And what of the employees of these shops, who will have to return to their families this Eid empty-handed amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in over a decade?

Under the circumstances, the traders have demanded that they be allowed to set up shops at the site, with whatever little inventory they could recover. We hope that the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will provide whatever assistance is needed – and swiftly – to aid the traders enabling them to rise from the ashes. The government should also ensure that the traders have access to the necessary infrastructure to rebuild their businesses, including affordable credit. If the DSCC's plan to build a 10-storey shopping complex in Bangabazar goes through, it must ensure that all traders, no matter how small, are allocated their fair share in the new premises, without harassment, bureaucratic delays or bribery.

It has been heartening to see ordinary people and non-government organisations buy burnt or partially burnt items in the fire in an attempt to assist the shopkeepers. We urge others to follow suit and stand beside them in this hour of darkness. This is not just a matter of providing financial assistance; it is a matter of restoring hope and dignity to the traders who have lost everything in the fire. The government must act swiftly and decisively to address the plight of the affected traders, and to ensure that they are not left to suffer in silence.