Save businesses from hartal

Speakers at a meeting yesterday urged the government and the opposition party to ensure that the democratic right of calling hartals is not misused by certain faction of the society.
The current violent situation and continuous hartals are detrimental to the performances of businesses in the country, they said at the 19th annual general meeting of Bangladesh Fertiliser Association at Officers' Club in the capital.
Around 85 percent of employment in the private sector is provided by businessmen and thus, further financial loss to the businesses and damage to their properties during hartals are unacceptable, said Md Helal Uddin, vice president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The FBCCI will organise a rally on April 26, where their protest programmes against shutdowns will be announced, he said.
The government should stop importing torn sacks and low weighing urea from China, said Kamrul Ashraf Khan, chairman of Bangladesh Fertiliser Association.
He further urged the government to ensure that no individual or organisation apart from authorised fertiliser dealers is allowed to sell fertilisers in the country.
Dilip Barua, industries minister, and Omar Faruk Chowdhury, state minister for industries, were also present.