Education insts’ closure hits small traders hard in Tangail
Mohammad Fazlul Haque, a bookstall owner in Tangail's Ghatail upazila, could not pay rents of his shop and house for the last few months due to abnormal drop of sales in his shop since outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
He has been keeping his shop open after the lockdown was lifted following government directives but the sales have not increased as the educational institutions still remain shut.
"How can I pay rents of my shop and house maintaining the cost of my family as I cannot sell books more than Tk 500 to Tk 1000 in a day," Fazlul said.
"I have heard that the educational institutions will reopen in the end of March but it will be very tough for me to turn around as I am already in debts," he added.
Not only Fazlul but also hundreds of small traders involved in education related business have been passing hard days for the last one year due to slump in their sales due to shutdown of educational institutions due to coronavirus pandemic.
Those who run shops of educational equipment, tailoring shops making uniforms for students, stationary shops, small cyber cafes, hotels, snacks and fast food shops and photocopiers adjacent to the educational institutions have incurred heavy loss due to the countrywide shutdown of educational institutions.
Although normalcy has returned after the lockdown was relaxed but the traders who are involved with education related business could not turn around so far.
Many of the traders are still struggling to continue their business while a number of them have already shut their business.
Many of the employees who had jobs at the small shops were also laid off by the shop owners. Many of them have returned to their villages.
Mozammel Haque, who runs a shop at GBG College Intersection area, was passing idle time by browsing social medias as he didn't receive any customer since the morning.
"What can I do? I have no work but sitting idle at the shop. My business is related to educational institutions. So, the people engaged with business like mine have almost become unemployed," he said.
"The deadly corona virus outbreak has almost destroyed my business as well as my financial stability. Now I can neither pay the rent of the shop nor can shut the business," Mozammel added.
Abu Taher, owner of a shop in the same area that produces and sales different types of crests, said sales of crests have dropped abnormally as such programmes and events have remained suspended due to the pandemic.
"It has become difficult for me to buy food for my family," he said.
Shiplu Miah, a fast food shop owner near a private but busy school at Biswas Betka area in Tangail town said he left the business few months ago due to failing to pay the shop rent.
"I will not able to reopen my shop after re-opening of the school as I don't have the capital required for it," he said.
"No one including the government or any other institutions provided me any incentives or loans for sustaining my business in the crisis period. After my little savings ended, I have been running my family for the last few months by taking loans from relatives and friends," he added.
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