Rising from ashes: Fire-hit Bangabazar shop owners building hope with new market

Aminul Islam Patwari, once a shop owner in Bangabazar's Adarsha Hawkers Market, lost goods worth Tk10 lakh in a devastating fire on 4 April last year. Despite the significant loss, Aminul now dreams of owning a shop in the new 10-storey Bangabazar Nagar Wholesale Market. 

 "It's a dream for shop owners like me who were affected by the Bangabazar fire to have a place in a modern shopping mall. After last year's fire, I thought I would get nothing," Aminul told The Business Standard. 

 He added that a shop owner has to deposit Tk3 lakh with Dhaka South City Corporation this month for confirmation of space at the new market.

Aminul is not alone in this journey. As many as 2,961 shop owners who lost their shops in the Bangabazar fire will get space allocations in the new market. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the construction of the 10-storey building on 25 May, marking a significant milestone for these shop owners who are eager to rebuild their livelihoods.

The Bangabazar Nagar Wholesale Market will feature a 10-storey building on 106.28 katha of land, with four blocks, five general stairways, six emergency stairways, and 3,213 shops ranging from 80-110 sq ft each. 

Each floor will also include a 250 sq ft food court and separate toilet blocks. The market will be equipped with eight lifts—four for passengers and four for goods—and roads around the market will be 7-10 ft wide for easy access. 

Additionally, the building will feature an adequate firefighting system and underground parking for 169 cars and 109 motorcycles.

A Dhaka South City Corporation official told TBS that 2,961 shops will be allocated to the fire-affected shop owners from Bangabazar, Gulistan, Mahanagar, and Adarsha Hawkers Market. An additional 244 shops will be available and allocated through an application process as per the rules. 

Kizer Mohammad Farabi, chief estate officer of Dhaka South, told TBS, "Priority for shop allocations will be given to the affected Bangabazar businessmen, with any remaining shops allotted through an open process. If there are more applications than available shops, a lottery will be conducted."

According to Dhaka South, the market construction, estimated to cost Tk386 crore at Tk5,500 per square foot, will be completed by December 2026 and managed by National Development Engineering.

Project Director and Dhaka South Superintending Engineer Mohammad Tawhid Siraj told TBS, "It takes 3-4 years to build a market building, but we aim to complete the construction by December 2026. The owners will pay the money in stages, and the market will be built accordingly."

A source at the Dhaka South engineering department said that previously, shop sizes in the burnt market ranged from 17-22 sq ft, but the new mall will feature shop sizes between 80 to 120 sq ft. Due to the larger shop sizes, owners must initially deposit Tk3 lakh this month, with additional contributions required during the construction period.

Zahirul Islam, general secretary of the Bangabazar Complex Shop Owners Association, expressed happiness about the start of the construction work. "We are very happy that work on the Bangabazar market building is starting and will be inaugurated by the prime minister." 

He added, "The funds needed to start building are already with the city corporation. Shop owners had previously deposited Tk1 lakh each when they were allocated makeshift shops in Bangabazar, and this deposit has now reached Tk42 crores. 

"Additionally, every shop owner received a letter on Monday to deposit Tk3 lakh."