Traders, employees at a loss

A number of distressed traders and employees were seen yesterday sitting idle in front of the market wearing a vacant look. Some of them complained against their fate while others lamented about further troubles they would have to face in upcoming days. Md Emdadul Haque from Shariatpur worked at a shop in the market for 20 years. Five years ago, he bought a space in the market and started trading of Chinese food products under the name of MD Traders. He lives in south Badda area in a rented house and had a happy life with his family and business. But the fire ruined everything all of a sudden. It burnt goods worth Tk20 lakh excluding cash money and necessary documents of Emdad’s business. “My elder son will sit in intermediate exams after a couple of months and the younger one has passed class VI. I cannot think about their future as I have lost my business now. How will I arrange their educational expenses? They are starving at home. I cannot look at the faces of my children. How will I pay the house rent?” Emdadul said weeping. Delwar Hossain Dulal of Barisal owned a toy shop. He has lost products worth Tk70-75 lakh in the fire. He was able to save some of the products from the shop during the fire and sold the damaged items at a very cheap rate. Delwar said: “My brother is an expatriate. I took Tk10 lakh loan from him and bought toys for the shop, hoping a good business. But all my hopes are gone now. Finding no alternative, I was bound to sell a toy worth Tk16,000 just at Tk1,200.” Abdul Malek who has run a cosmetics shop in the DNCC market for eight years rushed to the burning market soon after the fire erupted. He has not gone home since now that his only source of earning was destroyed before his own eyes. A pale faced Malek said: “I have lost all of my goods worth Tk35 lakh. Now I have nothing. My family and children are crying out of hunger but I cannot do anything for them. I have no money for buying food. “We urge the government to rehabilitate us in this market and arrange bank loans for us, so that we can stand up again.”