Bashundhara shopping mall reopens after fire

Bashundhara City shopping complex reopened yesterday, 10 days after more than 100 shops were ravaged by a fire.

The shopping complex opened its doors to customers around noon yesterday, said Jashim Uddin, its head of marketing.

Most of the shops are now open, excluding those of C-block on the sixth and seventh floors, where the fire on August 21 caused the most damage.

Some 150 fire-fighters, assisted by firemen of Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, doused the flame after nearly nine hours of frantic effort.

A total of 104 shops in the C Block and adjacent areas on the sixth floor have been completely destroyed, said MA Hannan Azad, president of Bashundhara City's Shop Owners Association.

Many shops on different floors have been partially damaged by the smoke and water, he said, adding that only some of the shops had insurance coverage.

Subsequently, the association urged banks and insurance companies to provide interest-free loans to the affected shop owners for at least one year.

Trading was going on in some shops, while the others were shut for repair works.

Some customers were seen buying, mostly in shops selling clothes, while few other visitors were seen roaming around the shopping complex.

Workers and shopping complex staff were seen busy repairing the damage.

The lifts of the building were running, while technicians were checking the escalators before their operation.