Traders suffered as business activities were hampered by the nationwide general strikes enforced by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in all four working days in this week.
Tuesday was a public holiday on the occasion of Ashura.
Jamaat enforced the strikes in protest at the punishments handed down to its leaders by war crimes tribunals and at the judgement delivered by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upholding death penalty awarded to its assistant secretary general by a war crimes tribunal.
Due to the strikes, medium and small traders suffered a lot as the city markets witnessed low turnout of customers, traders said.
Jamaat enforced a 72-hour nationwide general strike in two phases for October 30 and November 2-3 in protest at the death sentence awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 to its amir Motiur Rahman Nizami.
The party enforced another 48-hour general strike on Wednesday and Thursday in protest at the judgement delivered by the Appellate Division upholding the death sentence awarded to Jamaat leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman by a war crime tribunal and at the capital punishment handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 to its leader Mir Quasem Ali on war crime charges.
Traders said most of them kept open their shops during the strikes, but sales more than halved due to a low turnout of customers.
Rezaul Islam, owner of Mishi Fashions at Malibagh Super Market in the city, said that his sales decreased by 70 per cent in last seven days as the week remained almost under the grip of shutdown.
‘During the period I paid workers from my capital and failed to pay instalment to bank,’ he said.
Rezaul, also vice-president of Bangladesh Shop Owners Association, said that the small and medium shop owners suffered most during the strikes as they could hardly maintain the operational cost in the time.
Saiful Islam Shaheen, owner of Paradise Tailors at Ramna Bhaban in the city, said that he incurred loss of Tk 35,000 in last week as both the order and delivery almost were stopped due to the strikes.
‘It is the pick season for the tailoring shops but we may face setback if strike takes place frequently,’ he said.
Mokbul Ahmed, owner of Nazrul Transport, said that he incurred huge loss in last one week as nine trucks and covered vans remained idle.
‘We had decided to ply the trucks during the strikes but trip was not available as producers were not willing to carry their goods in the period,’ he said.
Chand Miah, a makeshift fruit trader at the Rampura kitchen market, said that his sales were Tk 6,000-Tk 7,000 a day whereas in last few days the sales decreased to Tk 2,500-Tk 3,000 a day due to the strikes.
‘Strikes hit marginal traders badly,’ he said.
Though the strikes in last few days were relaxed than the previous strikes the movement of the people was limited and so the shopping centres witnessed low turnout of customers, said Lutfor Rahman, owner of a readymade garment shop at Gulistan.
He said that on Wednesday his sales were Tk 930 only while the amount was Tk 3,700 on Tuesday as the day was out of the strike.
In a normal day, sales stand at Tk 8,000-Tk 9,000, Lutfor said.
-With New Age input
