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Dhaka turned into an almost 'empty city' on Saturday due to the mass exodus for an extended holiday and a two-day strike enforced by the major opposition ahead of the 12th parliamentary election today (Sunday).
It caused a lower customer turnout in the trading hubs while businesses were found grappling with the dented sales.
People were found venturing out minimally, resulting in sparse crowds across roads, markets, shopping malls, and various locations in the city ahead of the general election.
The two-day hartal from Saturday to Monday morning, called by the major opposition BNP and its allies, who boycotted the election demanding an election under a non-partisan caretaker government, was also a reason for lower presence of common people on Saturday.
Limiting plying of a few modes of vehicles like motorbike and microbus added further bareness in the city roads as public transports like busses were also few on the roads.
In addition to the weekend- Friday and Saturday, the government also declared the voting day (January 7) a public holiday that extended the vacation to a three-day one. Many people belonging to nearest areas left Dhaka on Thursday to enjoy the full holiday that is also a reason for vacuum in the city.
However, the first day of the strike called by BNP has left the streets deserted, impacting market activities with a noticeable absence of buyers, leading to closure of numerous shops, the FE correspondent found visiting several intersections of the city.
Sellers were found idling their time away as opened shops and malls witnessed a dearth of customers. A visit to Rayer Bazar, Mohammadpur, New Market, Azimpur, and Segunbagicha areas in the capital on Saturday revealed that several grocery stores, fish-meat and egg shops and shopping malls were closed.
The opened shops experienced a lower turnout of customers.
The capital's streets were almost empty, with most sidewalk shops remaining closed.
Dulal Mia of Bhai Bhai Broiler House at Azimpur shared his experience of selling chicken only worth Tk4,000 since morning, a significant drop from the usual daily sales of Tk30,000 to Tk 35,000.
He attributed the lack of customers to the slow business and anticipated more sluggish days ahead.
Contemplating closing the shop, he reflects the challenging circumstances faced by many businesses during this period.
Forkan Ali, a vegetable vendor at Mohammadpur Krishi Market, highlighted that the reduced footfall has caused a drastic fall in transaction. Abuzar Raman, a clothing shop owner at New Market, expressed a somber mood, stating that there are hardly any customers as his winter items and sales have plummeted.
Md Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (association of shop owners), said malls were closed as a security initiative while many of the shop owners also have gone to home towns and villages to cast votes.