March 20, 2013 – MONIRUL ALAM

19 March 2013

Old Dhaka, Bangladesh

Nothing is schedule but HORTAL / Strike assignment, BNP and its alliance call 36 hours strike countrywide.

today’s I see the same scene a few vehicles run in the busy road, pedestrian walks on the street and security force deployed in the city. Number of Rickshaw moving around the city without any traffic harass.

I don’t take any pictures yet just gossip with my other media friend’s in front of Jagannath University in the Old part of Dhaka.

Today’s I have make a planned to takes different pictures about the HORTAL issue. During the HORTAL time what about the effect of the business sector, me and my reporter RATAN bhai to make a plan to go to the Shadarghat Fruit’s market to see the real condition . . .

Several fruit’s seller sits idle with their fruit’s basket but no customers and no sell made , their face is really unhappy during the 48 hours HORTAL they are really annoyed. I see a one retail seller sits in beside the river and separate a rotten fruit’s, I took pictures and talked with him, his name is ANWAR, he said I makes a big loss around five Kg. rotten grape’s left to the Buriganga river. I see his faces he is shocked foe that losses. We move to the other places and observe the same scene.

According to International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh during the HORTALS cost the country an estimated $200 million every day. During the HORTAL time all business have been forced to remain closed for days at a time, and this resulted is not only personal financial losses but also country big economic losses.

” If HORTAL is continue my business is make a trouble at the same time me and my family also make a trouble” – ANWAR, Fruit’s Seller

Finally we talked to the Dhaka Fruit’s Association sectary general Md. SERAJUL ISLAM, he said during the HORTAl our business is remain closed, we don’t take any risk, no export import causes transportation, no vehicles run form the border area to the capital, our fruit’s rotten and no sell made, finally we made a big losses, as our estimate that one day we losses for HORTAL around fifteen core 15,0000000 Taka. He added the several business sectors also affected by the HORTAL and counting losses. We don’t accept this kind of HORTA, BUT we really helpless, Please save us and our request to all our political parties to look after the matter . . .