Downpours since morning with literally no pause. Then, as usual for Dhaka, streets went under water. People who came out for business got stuck on streets. Ground floors of both residential and commercial buildings remained inundated until late afternoon on Wednesday, the season’s worst episode so far.
Presence of clients was largely invisible in shops, malls, banks and stock exchange, making it one of the worst days for business in the country’s capital city. The scheduled business programmes also had to be postponed. Met office recorded 56mm rainfall in Dhaka from 6 am to 12 noon on Wednesday.
“In the trading floor at several broker houses of Dhaka Stock Exchange, a very few number of traders were seen today (Wednesday),” DSE Brokers Association President Ahmed Rashid Lali told the Dhaka Tribune.
He, however, said many investors participated in the trading online, minimising the negative impacts, said Lali.
But the banks suffered. The transactions were low. “The number of clients was half of that on a normal day. There was low transaction in our branch on Wednesday,” Md Badiuzzaman, a senior officer of the NCC Bank at Bangsal branch, said.
The corporate houses and export-oriented and other business houses passed an unproductive day as officers failed to reach office in time while some of them had to remain absent.
“Many business outlets were flooded. That was very unfortunate. We, the citizens, are paying more but no change,” said Abu Motaleb, a director of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
He deplored the “persisting problem” blaming the authorities for not “performing their duties properly.”
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
