“I’m a destitute from today. I feel like I am having a nightmare.”
This was how Mansur Haji, a clothing store owner at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, was trying to express his frustration as a deadly fire ravaged his shop and 600 others.
The story of 65-year-old Md Ismail, another clothing store owner, is rather heart-wrenching.
A shopkeeper for 30 years, Ismail’s store had products worth Tk50 lakh – but all of those were burnt to ashes. While describing his losses, the sexagenarian burst into tears.
There were goods worth Tk2 crore in Sohag Mia’s shop – and it is now just history.
Another affected trader, Sohail Hossain, took a Tk40 lakh loan earlier this year with the aim to expand his business. Now, he has no idea how he would repay the instalments.
Not only the shop owners but also hundreds of staffers and others involved with the businesses there are still in trauma after yesterday’s massive fire.
Their fate is now hanging in balance as many of them have been earning a living from the market for years.
The fire broke out at the market, which the authorities said housed 317 shops, around 3:43am and spread soon. According to official estimates, some 217 shops were gutted. But there were more shops, claimed affected traders.
Meanwhile, the authorities concerned and business leaders are blaming each other over proper fire safety that was missing in the market.