Reza Mahmud :
Eid shopping reaches last stage and the shoppers are now busy with the buying for last time. But most of them have expressed anxiety over the fire and lift incidents taking place in Dhaka and Chittagong shopping malls recently. Panic diverts some shoppers to footpath markets.
“We are shopping with fear and anxiety because of fire incidents at Alauddin tower shopping mall, at Uttara and Chittagong Central Plaza. The two incidents claimed seven lives. But, we need to buy our necessary dresses for Eid. So, we cannot avoid shopping,” said, Farhana Chowdhury, a resident of Elephant Road, from Eastern Plaza shopping mall on Wednesday. The same day, Abdullah Masud was looking fearful in a lift at Bashundhara City Shopping Complex. He stopped some persons from entering the lift, saying ‘ no more please, we fear the lift might not bear more weight.’
He said, after Alauddin Tower’s lift and fire incident, we are really afraid of using elevators.
Abida Tahmina, another shopper at Gausia Market, said, “When we shop in market, we look at the exit doors with fear. We never forget the victims of Alauddin Towers, they were also Eid shoppers.”
Besides, some of the shoppers moved from big shopping malls to footpath shops.
Sumona Mallik, a resident of Azimpur, was seen to buy some men’s dresses in front of Dhaka College with two of her female friends. She said, they are trying to avoid the gathering at big shopping malls to avoid mishaps.
Besides, the market authorities claimed that they had taken necessary safety measures.
Khalilur Rahman, the General Secretary of Bashundhara City Shopping Complex Shop Owner Cooperatives Committee told The New Nation, “We are taking every safety measure for our customers, shop owners, visitors and workers. There is no problem in regards to safety here.”
The General Manager of Bashundhara City Development Limited (BCDL) Major (Rtd) Mollah Mostaque Reza told The New Nation, “All lifts of the shopping complex operate under automatic closing systems. If weight exceeds, it will automatically close the door. Besides, we have hired the skilled operators. We also check our electric cables.”
Delwar Hossain Babu, General Secretary of Eastern Plaza Shopping Mall said, ” All our lifts are modern and the markets electric lines are also tested.”
Mohammad Hossain Khan of Motalib Plaza of Hatirpool in the city said, after Alauddin Towers’ incident, they checked all lifts and electric cables and every safety measures cautiously.
Besides, Md. Ershad Hossain Shahid, the Audit-Secretary, and Enamul Haque the Electric Affair Secretary of Gausia Market said, their fire fighting system is totally workable. Every side in the market is under surveillance of CC camera. They have also arranged police boxes beside the market.
Nearby Chistiya Market authority has also taken necessary safety measures. Nazrul Islam, the Joint-General Secretary of the market said, they have brought every side under surveillance.
