Without power, New Super Market traders resume business in dark

Traders of New Super Market, whose shops were spared from Saturday's devastating fire, resumed their businesses Monday, but with no electricity and low footfall.

Some shops on the ground floor of the market opened on the day while the removal of goods from the burnt shops was still going on. 

However, because of no electricity, there was little presence of buyers in the market. 

Mohammad Maruf Hossain, the convener of New Super Market Owners' Association, told The Business Standard, "We have appealed to the fire service for electricity connection."

He expects to get power back in the market soon, at least in the unburned shops. 

Maruf Hossain said they were preparing a list of affected traders who had shops under the Dhaka South City Corporation to get a grant. 

He said the loss from the fire has been estimated at Tk100 to Tk150 crore.

Helal Hossain, a trader on the third floor of the market, said the fire burned down about 90% of the goods worth Tk50 lakh in his store. 

"How will I repay my loans the salaries of nine employees?" he wondered. 

For another businessman, Abdul Wadud, the fire shattered his dream of buying a house in the village.

Wadud urged the government to help them rebuild their businesses, claiming that he had goods worth about Tk5 lakh in his shop. 

Meanwhile, to make the market risk-free, a long-term initiative will be taken together with all concerned, said Dhaka South Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas on Monday. 

The mayor was at a programme to hand over Tk2 crore cheque for Bangabazar fire victims.

"We have formed a standing committee that will thoroughly look into construction and structural risks, fire-fighting risks," he added. 

A fire at the capital's New Super Market shopping mall broke out at around 5:40am this Saturday. The market houses around 1,300 shops.

Twenty-eight firefighting units along with firefighting teams of the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force brought the blaze under control after 3 hours of effort.

About 243 of the nearly 1,300 shops in the New Supermarket were gutted, according to the fire service.

The third floor of this market was the most damaged.