Staff Correspondent
An obvious trauma gripped the businesses at Basundhara City after a devastating fire Friday burnt many shops and offices into ashes inside the country’s biggest and iconic shopping centre. The fire broke out at the top of the 21-storey shopping mall in the afternoon and it took fire-fighters hours to douse the flames, but the businesses were in dark about how much the devastating fire cost them.
Many shop owners were not even in a position to make any comment on their fate as they were traumatised by the raging blazes. Some of them however told newsmen that they were not allowed to salvage their merchandise for security and safety reasons.
Owner of the Roast and Grill, Safi Ahmed, housed on the level 8 told New Age, ‘My manager informed me about the fire, I rushed to the scene, but the authority closed all the entrances and I failed to rescue my belongings.’
Rabeya Begum, who desperately looking for his son-in-law told New Age, ‘My son-in-law established a shop by investing all of his savings. Now who knows how he will restart his business!’.
The Basundhara City, opened in August 2004, is claimed to be the largest shopping mall in South Asia and the 12th largest in the world.
Around 2,000 retail stores and food courts are on the first eight floors of the mall. The upper floors house a multiplex movie theatre, a gymnasium, and offices including the corporate headquarters of the Bashundhara Group.
Courtesy of NewAgebd
