Hartal takes toll on Khatunganj trade

About 70 percent of the business outlets in Khatunganj market, one of the major wholesale commodity markets in Chittagong, remained closed in the last two days due to the countrywide hartal enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami.
The Khatunganj-Chaktai market, covering a large area along the banks of the Chaktai canal and the Karnaphuli river, deals with a large bulk of the nation's trade in commodities.
"The two-day shutdown cuts the market's daily average turnover by around 15 percent from Tk 1,200 crore,” said Syed Sagir Ahmed, general secretary of Khatunganj Trade and Industries Association.
“Many truck owners refused to operate their vehicles fearing the anarchy across the country, which also severely affected supply of commodities.”
He said political parties have the right to call hartal, but transportation of essential commodities should be kept outside of the scope of the political programme.
Around 70 percent of the 54 lakh tonnes of commodities imported by the private sector last year were supplied across the country by road, according to Chittagong Port officials.
At present, 16 smaller ships carry consumer goods to 16 inland ports across the country.
However, hartals halted all offloading and uploading of goods from ships to trucks.
“All my consumer goods are now in warehouses, as I failed to supply those to my buyers due to the hartal,” said Noor Alam, importer and owner of Jaman and Brothers.
“Hartals have become a real curse for businesses, and to make up our losses we will be compelled to increase the prices of the goods.”
Mohammed Sikander, importer and owner of Sikander Store, said he failed to make any profit since last week as hartals restricted many of his regular buyers to come to the market.
“From the beginning of the year, business has been lower than last year. If hartals continue like this, we will not be able to continue with our trading sustaining so huge losses."