Dreams, hopes go up in smoke

They invested the money they had and the money they could borrow in the hope of good business ahead of Eid but within a few hours yesterday, they lost everything.

Around 3,000 traders in Bangabazar area have been ruined as their shops were reduced to a pile of ash just over two weeks before Eid.

Safayet Hossain, owner of Hassan Garments in Bangabazar, said he had bought and stored readymade garments worth Tk 7 lakh just on Monday.

"I was supposed to make an inventory today [yesterday]. But I could only watch my stock worth around Tk 2 crore burn. I have lost everything. I don't know how I will survive," Safayet told The Daily Star at the scene.

Arman Hossain, another trader, said the three shops his brother and he own have been destroyed. "We were hoping to have a good business ahead of Eid, but now there's nothing left," said Arman.

The fire broke out around 6:10am and gutted nearly every shop in the market that is loved by many for its multitude of affordable readymade clothing.

Firemen brought the fire under control around 12:36pm. Moments later, shop owners and employees were seen going through the smouldering ruins desperately to salvage whatever they could.

BM Habib, office secretary of Bangabazar Shopping Complex Shop Owners Association, said the loss due to the fire could be around Tk 5,000 crore. He also alleged that a vested group might have resorted to arson to occupy the land.

Mohammad Abu Naser, the spokesperson for the Dhaka South City Corporation, which owns the complex, said there were 2,931 shops that mostly sold RMG products. The complex housed Adarsha Market, Mahanagar Complex, Gulistan Market and Bangabazar Market.

LOST EVERYTHING

The Daily Star talked to over a dozen shop owners who said they had invested between Tk 1 crore and Tk 5 crore.

Belayet Hossain and his four brothers had taken out a loan to invest Tk 50 lakh ahead of Eid.

"Starting with one shop, we expanded to five over the last 10 years. We had a business worth Tk 5 crore. Now we have nothing," Belayet told The Daily Star.

Just two years ago, Md Ibrahim spent Tk 40 lakh to open a shop in Bangabazar in the hopes of having a thriving business in the capital's iconic clothing market.

For Eid, he stocked up clothes worth more than Tk 20 lakh. "All is lost now," a sobbing Ibrahim told The Daily Star.

Another shop owner said, "I have been turned into a beggar … How will I maintain my family?"

Shopkeeper Sirajul Islam rushed to the market hearing the news of the fire.

"I had clothes worth Tk 20 lakh in my shop. I could manage to get almost half of it out but even those got ruined by the water used for dousing the flames," he said.

Another trader Rakib said he could not get a single piece of clothing out.

One of the affected businessmen, Didar Hossain, said, "I had a shop with clothes worth Tk 10 lakh. Everything has turned to ashes."

Trader Awlad Hossain, said, "We have nothing left. The fire has shattered all our hopes."

The fire has also gutted shops in neighbouring markets.

Roni Hosen, a trader in Bangla Islamic Market, said, "I had goods worth Tk 25 lakh in the shop for Eid and I brought in fresh stock just yesterday.

"Everything turned into ashes in front of my eyes. I couldn't retrieve even a single piece of clothing. I still have a debt of Tk 10 lakh, and I don't know how to repay," he said in tears.

Shop owners of other markets nearby were seen taking their goods out of the area.