Joynal Abedin Khan :
Thousands of hawkers and other small traders along with their family members are very much worried now over the political unrest like hartal and blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance since January 5 this year.
They said that, if the present political violence continues, these poor hawkers and the traders would be severely hard-hit. As a result, they and their family members would have to face ‘starvation’ as the sales on the city’s walkway makeshift markets in Dhaka and other cities and towns has virtually collapsed for more than a month from now on.
But these small shopkeepers are still paying the unwritten bribe to the police and local political leaders as they set up their vendors on the footpaths based on the oral permission, police and local sources said.
“Our daily income has fallen drastically far below the cost of daily necessities,” Mithun Ahmed, a shopper in the city’s Baitul Mukarram North Gate area told The New Nation on Tuesday.
“We have no chance to lead a normal live as our income source has decreased alarmingly due to the blockade,” he said.
Similar plight has come down upon fruit seller Atiar Rahman near Jatrabari intersection. “Selling is very dull. We are facing problem of running our families,” Atiar Rahman told The New Nation.
“As time passes with no hope that the political standoff will soon come to an end, Atair said thousands of families like him are ‘fearing starvation’ in near future.”
“There is no sale and I and my family members are passing days almost half-fed,” Ahmed Ali, a cosmetic hawker in Gulistan area said.
He said: “We are just poor people struggling for survival. We are not supporters to any political party. But we don’t understand why the government and opposition parties can’t arrive at a decision to relieve us from pains caused by their (political) programmes.”
Another footpath trader Sunil Roy said that he could sell only one trouser till the evening on the day.
“People are now scared of their lives, they are not interested in buying trousers or shirts,” he said.
Al-Amin sells mobile phone accessories at his footpath shop near the Maulana Bhasani Stadium. He said, he kept his shop open taking the risk.
Footpath shoe-shop owner Alauddin, near New Market Gate No. 2, said “Earlier he used to sell around Tk 7,000 to 8,000 daily, but now it has come down to below one-fourth.”
Thousands of hawkers and other small traders along with their family members are very much worried now over the political unrest like hartal and blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance since January 5 this year.
They said that, if the present political violence continues, these poor hawkers and the traders would be severely hard-hit. As a result, they and their family members would have to face ‘starvation’ as the sales on the city’s walkway makeshift markets in Dhaka and other cities and towns has virtually collapsed for more than a month from now on.
But these small shopkeepers are still paying the unwritten bribe to the police and local political leaders as they set up their vendors on the footpaths based on the oral permission, police and local sources said.
“Our daily income has fallen drastically far below the cost of daily necessities,” Mithun Ahmed, a shopper in the city’s Baitul Mukarram North Gate area told The New Nation on Tuesday.
“We have no chance to lead a normal live as our income source has decreased alarmingly due to the blockade,” he said.
Similar plight has come down upon fruit seller Atiar Rahman near Jatrabari intersection. “Selling is very dull. We are facing problem of running our families,” Atiar Rahman told The New Nation.
“As time passes with no hope that the political standoff will soon come to an end, Atair said thousands of families like him are ‘fearing starvation’ in near future.”
“There is no sale and I and my family members are passing days almost half-fed,” Ahmed Ali, a cosmetic hawker in Gulistan area said.
He said: “We are just poor people struggling for survival. We are not supporters to any political party. But we don’t understand why the government and opposition parties can’t arrive at a decision to relieve us from pains caused by their (political) programmes.”
Another footpath trader Sunil Roy said that he could sell only one trouser till the evening on the day.
“People are now scared of their lives, they are not interested in buying trousers or shirts,” he said.
Al-Amin sells mobile phone accessories at his footpath shop near the Maulana Bhasani Stadium. He said, he kept his shop open taking the risk.
Footpath shoe-shop owner Alauddin, near New Market Gate No. 2, said “Earlier he used to sell around Tk 7,000 to 8,000 daily, but now it has come down to below one-fourth.”
