Poor sales dim recovery hope for fire-ravaged Mohammadpur market

Mahbubur Rahman started selling clothes on a wooden stand beside the road near the Mohammadpur Notun Kacha Bazar (adjacent to Krishi Market) after his shop, Rana Cloth Store, was ravaged by a devastating fire that swept through the market last year.

Despite displaying the same products as he did in his shop in the market, customers tend to offer lower prices, perceiving it as a roadside store.

"Customers think we are selling inferior products. So they are offering such low prices with which we could not even buy the products," he told The Business Standard last week on a Ramadan day.

Many traders whose shops in the market were damaged by last year's fire are now selling their products on the footpath, setting up temporary structures and displaying products under a roof made of tarpaulin supported by bamboo frames.

The temporary solution has not reversed their fortunes, as even during the Eid season they lack customers.

"There are no sales even during this time of Ramadan. Not even a tenth of the sales that we had before the market fire," Mahbub said.

It may be recalled that on 13 September 2023, a fire broke out at around 3:30 am in Mohammadpur Notun Kacha Bazar, resulting in the destruction of over 400 shops.

The Traders and Shop Owners Association reported that the fire caused a loss of around Tk350 crore. The market housed various types of shops, including grocery, stationery, confectionery, jewellers, plastic goods, rice, spices, crockery, cloth, and shoe shops.

Mahbubur Rahman said, "All the goods in my shop turned to ashes in that fire. I incurred a loss of around Tk1 crore."

Mohammad Shahjahan, who is 70 years old, had been selling shoes in the market for about 26 years. He owned two shops. Now he is selling shoes on the sidewalk in a makeshift shop.

"During this time of Ramadan, I used to sell shoes in my shops worth Tk50,000 per day. But now I cannot sell even Tk1,000 a day," he said.

He is also encountering difficulties as customers offer lower prices for his products, taking him to be a footpath vendor.

"A customer offered Tk400 for two pairs of women's shoes. They compared us with the footpath traders at New Market," Shahjahan said.

He further said, "I started the business with the money I earned from working in Libya for 26 years. After losing everything in the fire, now I am trying to stay in business by buying products on loan."

Jasim Uddin, owner of Bhai Bhai Cosmetics, said, "I used to sell products worth Tk30,000-Tk40,000 daily. Now, only products worth Tk2,000-Tk3,000 are sold."

"Many people sell counterfeit cosmetics on the footpath after purchasing them from Dhaka's Chawkbazar. However, we have been selling products at the same location for a long time, offering genuine products from various companies," he said.

"But customers have doubts about us when we claim to sell authentic products because of our sidewalk location," he added.

Jasim Uddin said, "I will continue to sit here until the market is rebuilt. It is hard to convey how we are managing through this time. There are no sales, yet we still have to cover our family expenses."

A new two-storey market is under construction on the site of the fire-damaged market. Roofing work is currently underway, with rods, sand and bricks laid out. Labourers are diligently working on the site.

Traders say they want the construction work to complete the market before the next Eid-ul-Adha.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) officials also said that the construction work will possibly be completed before Eid-ul-Adha.

DNCC Zonal Executive Officer (Zone-5) Mutakabbir Ahmed told The Business Standard, "Initially, we had a plan to construct a single-storey building, but later, through discussions with the market committee, a two-storey plan was decided upon. We are hoping to open the market by Eid al-Adha."

"After completing the work, we will hand it over to the shop owners. Only those traders who had permanent allotment shops in this market will get shops in this new building," he added.

"In this regard, the city corporation is covering the cost of the construction of the market. No funds will be collected from the traders, as they have permanent shop allocations within this market."

He added, "In this section of the Krishi Market, many people used to occupy the sidewalk, leaving no space. The two-storey building is designed to accommodate them within the structure."