In the current political situation, the sound system businessmen are also facing want of work although they used to have good business at this time of year.

Usually, the pro- and anti-government political parties used to give work orders for banners for their programmes to welcome or protest the national budget to be proposed. But no political parties and their front organisations are holding any such programmes this year because of the ongoing ban on political activities, said banner artists at Nilkhet.

Md Abdus Salam, owner of Art House at Baku Shah Market in Nilkhet, said, "The business is really bad and many of us are now planning to change our fields."

Visiting several well-known sound system houses including the Habib Sound, Taranga Sound and Royal Mike, it was learnt that none of them have got a single customer this year. The shop of Taz Mike, another famous sound system house, was found closed.

An employee of the Royal Mike said nowadays they do not get more than one or two customers per day. "We used to get around 10 bookings on the day before the announcement of the budget. But we have not got a single booking this time," he said.