These restaurants are needed for foreigners and foreign guests

RESTAURANT owners of Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondi areas urged the government to stop eviction drives and allow them to run businesses unhindered for sometime more considering their plight over the past several months since the militants’ attack on Holey Artisan Restaurant. They have not enough eaters and business remained almost shut. Highlighting their plights at a press conference on Monday in the city restaurant owners said they are now over-loaded with loans and arrear rents while it is ignored such restaurants are needed for foreigners and foreign guests of garment sector. They demanded the eviction drives must stop, which is only destroying their business.

Restaurant business is one of the most useful businesses as it serves the locals and foreigners with much needed facilities. Restaurants in posh areas for posh people had to be poshly arranged spending huge money for its facilities.

In many cases crores of takas had to be invested. Government cannot deny that it cooperated to set up such expensive restaurants to meet the need of the foreigners coming in connection with our garments business and foreign investment.

Following the Gulshan attacks in the Diplomatic Zone on July 1, the Cabinet ordered shifting of all ‘unauthorized’ commercial establishments from all residential neighbourhoods in all those areas for security reasons. This cannot be the full justification. The government can rightly ask them to help make the places secured and the government has done so.

Restaurant owners do not find it easy relocating their businesses for limited area marked for commercial activities. The government has to use its thoughts and ideas and just not follow the advice of the police.