Shop owners want shops to stay open until 9 pm
Representational image. Collected.
To keep business and trade vibrant in the upcoming winter season, the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association has demanded that the opening hours of all markets, shopping malls, and shops across the country be extended by one hour. The organization is calling for shops to remain open until 9 pm instead of closing at 8 pm. A formal letter has also been sent to the Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources to take measures on the matter.
The request was made on Sunday in an application signed by Md. Helal Uddin, president of the Shop Owners Association.
The letter said that due to the government's energy-saving policy, shops currently have to be closed between 6 pm and 8 pm. As a result, buying and selling has been suffering for a long time. Due to a lack of customers, two major shopping malls in Dhaka have already closed. Several more shopping malls are at risk of closing.
Noting that traders are facing major financial losses, the organization said the country's power crisis has now somewhat eased. The winter season is ahead, which is a favorable time for retail business. In such a situation, extending the hours is necessary for small and medium traders to survive.
In the context of this year's fuel crisis, the closing time for markets, shopping malls, and shops has been changed multiple times. In early April, it was decided that businesses would be closed by 6 pm. Later, following the traders' demand, the time was extended to 7 pm.
Then, ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, from May 12, businesses were temporarily allowed to remain open until 10 pm. In June, the time limit was set at 9 pm. However, on August 12, it was reduced by another hour to 8 pm. Since then, markets, shopping malls, and shops have been kept open from 11 am to 8 pm. Most recently, during the Sharadiya Durga Puja, special permission was given to keep markets, shopping malls, and shops open until 10 pm.
