Third gender community donates Tk22 lakh to fire-affected Bangabazar traders

The country's third gender community on Sunday donated Tk20 lakh in cash to the fire-affected Bangabazar traders.

"We have been collecting money from the traders in Bangabazar for the past 30-40 years. Today, amid such difficult times, we stand by our brothers instead of spending money for Eid shopping," said Kashmiri Dipali, president of the Bangladesh Hijra Development Organisation.

"We have collected Tk20 lakh from across the country. If the traders survive, we will be able to live too," Dipali added.

She emphasised that the money would be deposited into the relief fund for the affected traders and would not be handed over to any individual trader.

About 100 members of the third gender community gathered at the site of the fire-ravaged Bangabazar and made the donation with the aim to help the traders get back on their feet.

Earlier, another Hijra leader, Aleya, donated Tk2 lakh to the affected Bangabazar traders.

She had saved up the money to perform Hajj, but after seeing the plight of the traders, she decided to make the donation from her personal funds, she said.

Speaking to the media at Bangabazar on Sunday, Aleya urged everyone, especially the wealthy, to come forward and support the affected traders.

Md Mohan Mia, joint general secretary of the Bangabazar Complex Shop Owners Association, accepted the donation and praised Aleya's decision to stand by the traders during such troubling times.

Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association President Helal Uddin also commended the Hijra community's contribution and emphasised the importance of never looking down upon any community.

On 4 April, a massive fire broke out at the Bangabazar Market in Dhaka, which spread to nearby markets, burning over 5,000 shops that mainly sell readymade clothes and footwear, to ashes.