Dhaka gingerly steps into normalcy again

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The capital has started coming back to life again from yesterday evening just after 14-party coalition announced withdrawal of its Dhaka siege programme.

Earlier, the siege programme, aiming to resist Justice KM Hasan from assuming the office of the caretaker government chief, created a disquieting stagnation in the city which persisted from Friday night to Monday evening.

Residents of Dhaka city refrained from coming out of home during the day yesterday. Panic-stricken people hardly even went to kitchen markets or brought their vehicles out, but a number of inner-city buses were seen operating on the roads. Academic institutions also remained closed but banks and other commercial offices started operations in a limited scale.

But as soon as the blockade had been withdrawn the city started to come back to life, leaving the ‘worse than hartal’ scenario behind.

The most striking event yesterday was people’s rush to Dhaka. Millions of people who had left the capital for Eid-ul-Fitr holidays were in a desperate drive to come back to Dhaka. Bangladesh Railway control room sources said they had started train services, but Suborno, Mahanagar, Joyontika, Egaro Sindhur, and Jamuna express trains were delayed. Each train had to carry four times more of its capacity.

Gabtoli bus terminal sources said the passenger turnout was greater than ever. Throughout the day yesterday inter-district bus services remained suspended but from the evening after the 14-party-led blockade had been withdrawn the services resumed.

Our Barisal correspondent said the launch terminal there was so full to the brim that there was almost no room for people to walk, as people started coming back to Dhaka from the southern region.

Bangladesh Launch Owners Association sources said in the last three days they operated their

services with a very few passengers, but as soon as the blockade was withdrawn people started heading to their destinations.

A few garment factories started production yesterday but the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) expect the situation to be normal from today.

BGMEA President SM Fazlul Haque told The Daily Star, “The amount of loss in the last three days is over Tk 1000 crore. We failed to maintain shipment deadlines and the buyers are now asking for air shipment which would increase the loss by twofold”. BGMEA delegates will meet the president, who is also the caretaker government chief, shortly and if he does not take any measure to solve the crisis the association will seek legal actions, the association president said.

BGMEA however hailed the withdrawal of blockade and expects full-fledged production from today.

At Chittagong port, loading and unloading started from yesterday evening as the blockade and hartal in Chittagong had been called off. The Chittagong Port chairman said 75 vessels were trapped in congestion, which is the highest in recent times. The port chairman held a meeting with all concerned parties yesterday and over the next one month all quarters concerned including the customs commissioner, chamber president, and C&F agents promised to continue working even on holidays to recover the loss.

Trade was completely at a halt in the last three days. The land port authority expected to start operating from today. Over a thousand trucks stood in a row on the other side of the border.

Following unrest at Hili Land Port, section 144 was imposed there to restore normalcy, bringing loading and unloading to a complete halt. Abu Nur Rashed, assistant customs commissioner told the Daily Star that although they kept the office open, trade was at a standstill on both Bangladesh and Indian sides.

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