Businesses reopen in Rangamati after withdrawal of transport strike, Section 144

Business activities in Rangmati, one of the main tourist hotspots of the country, have started regaining normalcy following unrest in the hill district for the past few days centring on ethnic violence and subsequent unease among locals.  

Meanwhile, traders at various markets in the district have started reopening shops after the withdrawal of Section 144 in the town on Sunday. 

In addition, vehicular movement from Rangamati town to various upazilas and other regions has also resumed following the withdrawal of a transport strike that lasted for two days.

On Monday, the number of auto-rickshaws as well as buses, trucks and other vehicles plying from Rangamati town to Chattogram increased.

Md Mizanur Rahman Babu, general secretary of Rangamati district CNG autorickshaw workers’ union and drivers’ welfare association, told The Business Standard that the administration has assured that transport owners who suffered losses during the unrest will be given compensation. As such, public vehicles started operating yesterday. 

As per data from the district bus owners’ association, at normal times, over 50 buses operate on the Chattogram-Rangamati route every day, carrying around 2,000 passengers on more than 100 trips. However, bus services from another hill district, Khagrachhari, have yet to resume.

Khorshedul Alam, general secretary of Chattogram Bus-Minibus Workers’ Union (Chattogram to Raozan, Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban), told TBS that vehicular movement on the Chattogram-Rangamati route resumed from Monday morning. “Buses moved from both Rangamati and Chattogram ends at 6:30am yesterday.” 

Visiting today, most of the shops at the three main markets of Rangamati – Tabalchari Bazar, Reserve Bazar and Banarupa Bazar were found reopened. However, the presence of customers was low.

Traders in the markets expect that sales will increase gradually.

Liton Jahan, general secretary of BM Shopping Complex at Banarupa Bazar, told TBS that there are 3,000 small and big shops at Banarupa Bazar. Some shops reopened on Sunday afternoon following the withdrawal of Section 144, and on Monday, all shops started activities.

He said the administration assured that the traders who suffered losses during the clash on 20 September would be given compensation.

Traders from Tabalchari Bazar said a large segment of customers in the market are from hill tribes. Nevertheless, since Friday, there has been a noticeable absence of customers from both the hilly and Bengali communities.

However, from Monday, people from both communities have started coming to the market, traders said, adding that after the resumption of vehicular movement, business and public life in the town are gradually becoming normal.

Boat movement in Kaptai Lake to resume today

Passengers as well as various hill produces are carried from various upazilas to Rangamati district town via boats in Kaptai Lake. The goods are transported from the upazilas to the municipality truck terminal, Banarupa Bazar, Tabalchari Bazar and Reserve Bazar ghats of the lake.

Due to the ethnic conflict, launch and boat services on at least 10 routes between the district town and the six upazilas remained suspended from Saturday. However, as the overall situation is now becoming normal, transportation of goods as well as passengers will resume from Tuesday, said Moin Uddin Selim, chairman (passenger transportation) of Rangamati Zone Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).

District textile market incurs Tk1cr loss in 3 days 

One of the main tourist attractions in Rangamati is the town’s textile market that sells various clothing as well as showpieces made by the hill tribes. 

After remaining closed since Friday following the violence, at least 10 shops in the market reopened yesterday. However, the turnout of customers was low. 

Mentioning that tourists are the main customers of the market, shop owners of the market told TBS that it is difficult to gain traction until the situation is not completely stable. 

In the last three days, the market has incurred a loss of approximately Tk1 crore, they said. 

Yasin Arafat Tipu, a show-piece seller at the market, told TBS that he has incurred a loss of approximately Tk50,000 amid the market closure in the past three days. 

Staff of another shop in the market, Farzana, said the market is rendered completely inactive if there are no tourists visiting.

She said if the situation does not stabilise, the jobs of hundreds of employees of the market will be left in a state of uncertainty.

Earlier, a three-day strike was called by the transport owners in the three hill districts, including Rangamati, on Saturday in protest against the arson of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Khagrachhari.

In addition, Section 144 was imposed in Rangamati on Saturday, in response to attacks on various establishments in many areas of the district.