S.A Shofiee, Sylhet :
Street vendors in Sylhet city are bearing the brunt of political unrest as their daily sales have dropped sharply due to the ongoing blockade and hartals enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. 10 to 12 thousand hawkers including roadside shop-keepers, who sell fruits, vegetables, fish, chickens, clothes, shoes and various foods in the city at makeshift shops on footpaths and streets are struggling for their daily bread. During a visit to several city points our correspondent saw several makeshift shops run by hawkers open during hartal and blockade hours looked deserted with hardly any trade taking place. Lower presence of people on the streets during blockade and hartals is a common reason for such low business,
Traders of Hasan market said. ‘I have never experienced this type of situation,’ His daily sale was about Tk 3,000 a month back but amid hartals and blockade, it came down drastically. ‘Now I am struggling to earn Tk1,000 a day,’ he also said. ‘With these paltry earnings, I am facing hardship running my six-member family,’ he further said. ‘As business is dull, there is very little sale. We are facing problem running families,’
Abdullah, who runs a small Tea shop at Bandar bazar, said, Bandarbazar is usually known as a hotspot of violence. Several bombs exploded in front of my eyes. Yet I opened my shop but couldn’t scratch a living for thin presence of people in streets.’ ‘We’re inching towards death being unfed if such a tricky situation continues,’ he added.
Shamim Ahmed who sells mobile phone accessories at his footpath shop near near Kudrat Ullah market said, ‘We are just poor people struggling for a survival. We are no party to politics and don’t understand why the government and opposition parties can’t arrive at a decision to relieve us from pain caused by their (political) programmes.’ ‘We want an end to this situation.’ he said. Salah Uddin Ahmed, president of Sylhet Chamber and Commerce and Industry (SCCI), said at the end of the day, the common people suffer the most.
He called upon politicians to be more sensible and honest about their political activities, to ensure both economic development and the peace and stability in the country. He also said, ‘With transportation of goods being seriously hampered since last couple of weeks, prices of essential commodities already marked a rise while the situation is feared to worsen further.’
Street vendors in Sylhet city are bearing the brunt of political unrest as their daily sales have dropped sharply due to the ongoing blockade and hartals enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. 10 to 12 thousand hawkers including roadside shop-keepers, who sell fruits, vegetables, fish, chickens, clothes, shoes and various foods in the city at makeshift shops on footpaths and streets are struggling for their daily bread. During a visit to several city points our correspondent saw several makeshift shops run by hawkers open during hartal and blockade hours looked deserted with hardly any trade taking place. Lower presence of people on the streets during blockade and hartals is a common reason for such low business,
Traders of Hasan market said. ‘I have never experienced this type of situation,’ His daily sale was about Tk 3,000 a month back but amid hartals and blockade, it came down drastically. ‘Now I am struggling to earn Tk1,000 a day,’ he also said. ‘With these paltry earnings, I am facing hardship running my six-member family,’ he further said. ‘As business is dull, there is very little sale. We are facing problem running families,’
Abdullah, who runs a small Tea shop at Bandar bazar, said, Bandarbazar is usually known as a hotspot of violence. Several bombs exploded in front of my eyes. Yet I opened my shop but couldn’t scratch a living for thin presence of people in streets.’ ‘We’re inching towards death being unfed if such a tricky situation continues,’ he added.
Shamim Ahmed who sells mobile phone accessories at his footpath shop near near Kudrat Ullah market said, ‘We are just poor people struggling for a survival. We are no party to politics and don’t understand why the government and opposition parties can’t arrive at a decision to relieve us from pain caused by their (political) programmes.’ ‘We want an end to this situation.’ he said. Salah Uddin Ahmed, president of Sylhet Chamber and Commerce and Industry (SCCI), said at the end of the day, the common people suffer the most.
He called upon politicians to be more sensible and honest about their political activities, to ensure both economic development and the peace and stability in the country. He also said, ‘With transportation of goods being seriously hampered since last couple of weeks, prices of essential commodities already marked a rise while the situation is feared to worsen further.’
