Traders want fresh start of business before Eid

Affected traders of Ganginarpar Hawkers Market in Mymensingh town, who lost their stored products and other valuables in a fire on Thursday, have been desperately trying to get their businesses going before the upcoming Eid.

Meanwhile, many traders expressed their concern over whether they will get the expected support from the authorities concerned or not.

Established in 1974, the market was usually meant for the middle and low-income group people of Mymensingh and other adjacent districts.

President of Ganginarpar Hawkers Market Samity Abdul Motaleb said Mymensingh municipality Mayor Ekramul Haque visited the charred market yesterday to monitor the cleaning work and allocated Tk two lakh for the affected shop owners. 

The municipality authority will also supply corrugated iron sheets and iron-made angles to help them to build the shops as soon as possible, he said, adding that the local administration has also pledged to provide Tk 9,000 to each victim but they are yet to receive the money.

Alok Pal Chowdhury, a cosmetics trader at the market, said he has lost everything in the fire.

“I along with my younger brother Pulok had been running the cosmetic business for over three decades to maintain our eight member family,” a tearful Alok said, adding that if they can start their business with financial support from the government it would be a great relief for them.

“The fire has burnt all the four shops run by me and my three brothers and put our 25-member family in deep trouble,” another trader Shyamol Ghosh said.

Sanitary Inspector Dipak Majumder of Sadar municipality said the reconstruction work of the shops will start from tomorrow [Sunday].

Earlier, a devastating fire ripped through Ganginarpar Hawkers Market in town on early Thursday, burning down at least 150 shops of the marker.

The authorities concerned initially presumed that the fire might have originated from an electrical short-circuit.

Meanwhile, traders claimed that the extent of loss caused by the fire could go up to Tk 50 crore.