Student movement affects goods transport

The countrywide shutdown enforced by the quota reform movement yesterday affected business and economic activities as it disrupted the transportation of goods in the country.

The blockade of Dhaka-Chattogram highway, which is considered to be the economic lifeline of the country, for over 24 hours not only seriously hampered the transport of export-oriented products but also affected local supply chains, businesspeople said.

Supply of vegetables and essential goods to Dhaka has also been disrupted as the number of goods-laden trucks entering the capital fell sharply yesterday and the day before, they said.

The situation will worsen if the conflicting situation prevails for a few more days, they added. "We couldn't transport our raw materials due to the protests all over the country," said Mohammad Hatem, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Besides, the closure of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway has hampered the export shipments. All in all, the matter has now become quite complicated. Now, the exporters are trying to find a solution, he told The Daily Star.

At least nine people were killed and several hundred injured during a clash between quota protesters, police and pro-government men in Dhaka and other parts of the country yesterday.

Taslim Shahriar, deputy general manager at the Meghna Group of Industries, one of the biggest commodity importers and processors in the country, said the Dhaka-Chattogram highway has been closed since Wednesday night.

If it continues, there will be problems in the internal supply chains. No goods came to Dhaka from factories yesterday due to the closure of the road, he said.

It will not be a problem for a day or two. But there will be problems from then on. Due to fears over the overall situation, vehicle drivers do not want to take their vehicles anywhere, he added.

Besides, cargo transport to and from the Chattogram port, Bangladesh's premier seaport, slowed down a bit yesterday.

Transport owners and workers said many Chattogram port-bound trucks and covered vans got stuck at some exit points of Dhaka including Shanir Akhra and some spots on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway following clashes since Wednesday noon.

Businesses faced a shortage of transport vehicles while transport fares rose by 30 percent to 40 percent in Chattogram yesterday as owners and drivers were unwilling to ply their vehicles in fear of obstacles on the ways.

An official of KDS Logistics, a leading private inland container depot (ICD) at Sonaichhari, Sitakunda upazila, informed The Daily Star that they received only 33 trucks and covered vans carrying export cargoes from Dhaka till 2:00pm yesterday.

A total of 411 vehicles entered the depot in the 24 hours on the previous day, he said.

An operation manager at Nemsan Depot, another nearby ICD, said import deliveries from their depot have started to face delays due to a shortage of vehicles.

The scenario in other depots was also the same.

Meanwhile, bank branches in the capital and many parts of the country were almost empty as there were very few customers. Considering the ongoing situation, many banks have allowed their employees to work from home.

A senior official of Pubali Bank's New Market branch said while officials came to the office on time, customer numbers were very low due to the ongoing shutdown.

"We mostly depend on the businesspeople of the area, but due to the closure of shopping malls there hasn't been much activity from them. The customer situation will be fixed when the business activities are started," the official added.

An official of another private bank in Panthapath in the capital echoed the same regarding the presence of very few customers.

The capital was virtually empty yesterday as people mostly stayed away from venturing outside.

Visiting the capital's Mirpur, New Market, Elephant Road and Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, this correspondent found that the presence of customers was almost zero.

In New Market and Elephant Road areas, shops were closed.

Asif Khan, a trader at New Market, said he opened his store in the morning, but as the situation kept worsening, he later closed his store.

"It is heartbreaking to have to face such a situation as the business situation is already bad," he said.

Sales have dropped significantly, said Sajjad Khan, a retailer of cosmetics products at Bashundhara City Shopping Mall in the capital, claiming that goods worth around Tk 20,000 are usually sold between morning and 2:00pm.

Yesterday it was Tk 1,500 due to the low presence of buyers in the market, he said, adding that he knew of some traders who did not open shops at all.

Abu Raihan, general secretary of Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association, said on Wednesday 50 percent of their vehicles did not go on calls and all were kept garaged on Thursday.

"Today (yesterday) none of our vehicles could enter or leave Dhaka," he said.

Passengers and goods are not being transported ultimately. People cannot get to their destinations. In the case of goods, the supply chain is being disrupted. If it continues, there will be a crisis of products in the market, he added.