Rana Plaza tragedy: What about 155 shop owners who lost everything!
UNB, Dhaka :
Life has been utterly miserable for them after the collapse of Rana Plaza 14 months back, but neither the government nor anybody else has come forward with any support for the owners of the shops housed in that doomed building.
The building collapsed razing to the ground all the shops which, for most of the owners, were the sole sources of income generation.
They took loan from banks, sold off lands even homesteads and took goods from wholesalers without paying money to run their businesses only to face a harsh reality of losing all the investments in their shops.
Nuruzzaman Swapan, general secretary of Rana Plaza Bebsayee Kalyan Samity said, there were at least 155 shops on the first and second floors of the nine-storey Rana Plaza, which collapsed on April 24 last year, killing at least 1,136 people.
The shop owners alleged that they had already tried in vain to draw the attention of the local MP, local administration, ministries concerned and even the Prime Minster Office (PMO) about their losses and demanded compensation for the disaster, but no one came forward with financial support other than giving assurances.
Ripon, a Rana Plaza shop owner who had invested Tk 30 lakh in his business, said he is now working as an employee in a private firm which pays him a monthly salary of only Tk 5,000.
He noted that he is the only bread earner for the family and it is tough to run a five-member family with the limited income.
Firoz, another shop owner, said, “No organisation has come forward for our rehabilitation. We observed hunger-strike thrice. We were supposed to stage a demonstration on the first anniversary, but didn’ t do as the local MP assured us of looking into the matter, but he did nothing for us.”
Shah Alam, who had invested Tk 75 lakh in his two shops in Rana Plaza, said “Many had bank loans. But no bank exempted the loan for the incident. And the wholesalers are putting pressures on us to pay the dues. In a word we are in horrible situation.”
Nadim Mobarak, who had an IT (information technology) business in Rana Plaza, said, “We have tried hard to receive compensation. But no one paid heed to our appeals at all. We’re really in a very bad state… no one else other than us can understand this misery.”
Shipon invested all his efforts and assets in his three shops in Rana Plaza. He has been unemployed over the last 14 months and has no other way to earn the living.
“I had invested Tk 95 lakh. Now I have lost everything… I’m unemployed now. Now I’m trying to go abroad but yet to get any scope.”
General Secretary of the Rana Plaza Bebsayee Kalyan Samity Nuruzzaman said, “We didn’t leave any stone unturned …we approached every relevant ministry for compensation. But we are given only assurances.”
“If the Prime Minister wants, she can compensate us as there is a Tk 100 crore fund for the compensation at the PMO.”
“The businessmen of Baitul Mukarram were given Tk 50,000 as compensation just a day after Hefajat’s mayhem. Here, many (Rana Plaza) became penniless, but no one come forward with Tk 10,” he added.
Swapan informed that in a letter to the PMO they demanded TK 45 crore as compensation for the 155 shops.
Contacted, local MP Enamur Rahman told UNB, “I’m trying so that the shop owners can get compensation. I have contacted the people concerned in this regard.”
Life has been utterly miserable for them after the collapse of Rana Plaza 14 months back, but neither the government nor anybody else has come forward with any support for the owners of the shops housed in that doomed building.
The building collapsed razing to the ground all the shops which, for most of the owners, were the sole sources of income generation.
They took loan from banks, sold off lands even homesteads and took goods from wholesalers without paying money to run their businesses only to face a harsh reality of losing all the investments in their shops.
Nuruzzaman Swapan, general secretary of Rana Plaza Bebsayee Kalyan Samity said, there were at least 155 shops on the first and second floors of the nine-storey Rana Plaza, which collapsed on April 24 last year, killing at least 1,136 people.
The shop owners alleged that they had already tried in vain to draw the attention of the local MP, local administration, ministries concerned and even the Prime Minster Office (PMO) about their losses and demanded compensation for the disaster, but no one came forward with financial support other than giving assurances.
Ripon, a Rana Plaza shop owner who had invested Tk 30 lakh in his business, said he is now working as an employee in a private firm which pays him a monthly salary of only Tk 5,000.
He noted that he is the only bread earner for the family and it is tough to run a five-member family with the limited income.
Firoz, another shop owner, said, “No organisation has come forward for our rehabilitation. We observed hunger-strike thrice. We were supposed to stage a demonstration on the first anniversary, but didn’ t do as the local MP assured us of looking into the matter, but he did nothing for us.”
Shah Alam, who had invested Tk 75 lakh in his two shops in Rana Plaza, said “Many had bank loans. But no bank exempted the loan for the incident. And the wholesalers are putting pressures on us to pay the dues. In a word we are in horrible situation.”
Nadim Mobarak, who had an IT (information technology) business in Rana Plaza, said, “We have tried hard to receive compensation. But no one paid heed to our appeals at all. We’re really in a very bad state… no one else other than us can understand this misery.”
Shipon invested all his efforts and assets in his three shops in Rana Plaza. He has been unemployed over the last 14 months and has no other way to earn the living.
“I had invested Tk 95 lakh. Now I have lost everything… I’m unemployed now. Now I’m trying to go abroad but yet to get any scope.”
General Secretary of the Rana Plaza Bebsayee Kalyan Samity Nuruzzaman said, “We didn’t leave any stone unturned …we approached every relevant ministry for compensation. But we are given only assurances.”
“If the Prime Minister wants, she can compensate us as there is a Tk 100 crore fund for the compensation at the PMO.”
“The businessmen of Baitul Mukarram were given Tk 50,000 as compensation just a day after Hefajat’s mayhem. Here, many (Rana Plaza) became penniless, but no one come forward with Tk 10,” he added.
Swapan informed that in a letter to the PMO they demanded TK 45 crore as compensation for the 155 shops.
Contacted, local MP Enamur Rahman told UNB, “I’m trying so that the shop owners can get compensation. I have contacted the people concerned in this regard.”