Gazi Anowarul Hoque :
The country’s courier service business dropped by 90 percent in the last two weeks due to countrywide blockade, insiders said.
They said entrepreneurs of this sector suffered a huge loss as damage of their vehicles by pickets at different parts of the country in recent time. Many of them have compelled to cut their employment significantly to minimize their loss. Most of the sector players running their business in a name just to pass their time.
“Our income drastically fall, we are compel to cut employment, we just running business to survive ourselves,” Hafizur Rahman Pulok, President of Courier Service Association of Bangladesh, said this while he was talking with the New Nation Correspondent.
 “If the blockade continue we shall bound to change our business just to survive our families”, Pulok further commented.
Pulak, also vice chairman of Sundarban Courier Service, hinted that his company suffered a loss of Tk 20 lakh in the last 18 days.
 He requested the political leaders to find out hartal alternate to keep their business uninterrupted considering their service as emergency.
“Police escort is not sufficient for us, we still afraid of sending goods with the help of law enforcers”, lamented Hafizur.
According to the Bangladesh Courier Service Association, there are about 700 courier service companies in the country involving around 4 lakh employees.
Currently, some of the courier operators are using airlines as alternative to transport goods, but that is much costlier.
“We are using airfreight for some emergency documents. However, it costs us nine times higher than that of normal transportation,” Hafizur hinted further.
As business has been almost halted and earnings drop to shocking rate, payment of salaries to the employees have become difficult. Some of the operators have to take loan to pay salaries of their staffs.
 “We are now unable to pay salaries of our employees, which is taking us to lenders to continue payment to the staff. But how long we can do that?” said Mozamme Haq, Managing Director of Korotoa Courier Service.
“My company counting huge losses daily, but when the suffering will stop, we do not know, the situation is getting worse,” he said.
Md Abdur Razzak, General Secretary of the association said, as the courier service business completely depends on transportation, it has almost collapsed due to blockades.
“When we are living an insecure life, how I will ensure safety to my customers’ materials,” Abdur Razzak lamented.
The situation forced us to suspend all transportations, Razzak said.
Tanvirul Haque, chairman of Rainbow Courier Services, said, supply chain of exported and imported goods being carried by courier services has completely broken down.
“The situation is inflicting huge losses on us. My company’s earnings from sales have seen a drastic fall in last few days. It will create fund shortage to pay employees’ salaries,” he added.
 He said the service sectors are not getting business and counting huge loss, which will make us bankrupt, adding that not only service sector but also all businesses including manufacturing sectors are going to be near collapsed.
 According to sector leaders, a huge sum of money has already been invested with an expectation of good return but now they are worried. And about 20,000 workers may lose their jobs.
The country’s courier service business dropped by 90 percent in the last two weeks due to countrywide blockade, insiders said.
They said entrepreneurs of this sector suffered a huge loss as damage of their vehicles by pickets at different parts of the country in recent time. Many of them have compelled to cut their employment significantly to minimize their loss. Most of the sector players running their business in a name just to pass their time.
“Our income drastically fall, we are compel to cut employment, we just running business to survive ourselves,” Hafizur Rahman Pulok, President of Courier Service Association of Bangladesh, said this while he was talking with the New Nation Correspondent.
 “If the blockade continue we shall bound to change our business just to survive our families”, Pulok further commented.
Pulak, also vice chairman of Sundarban Courier Service, hinted that his company suffered a loss of Tk 20 lakh in the last 18 days.
 He requested the political leaders to find out hartal alternate to keep their business uninterrupted considering their service as emergency.
“Police escort is not sufficient for us, we still afraid of sending goods with the help of law enforcers”, lamented Hafizur.
According to the Bangladesh Courier Service Association, there are about 700 courier service companies in the country involving around 4 lakh employees.
Currently, some of the courier operators are using airlines as alternative to transport goods, but that is much costlier.
“We are using airfreight for some emergency documents. However, it costs us nine times higher than that of normal transportation,” Hafizur hinted further.
As business has been almost halted and earnings drop to shocking rate, payment of salaries to the employees have become difficult. Some of the operators have to take loan to pay salaries of their staffs.
 “We are now unable to pay salaries of our employees, which is taking us to lenders to continue payment to the staff. But how long we can do that?” said Mozamme Haq, Managing Director of Korotoa Courier Service.
“My company counting huge losses daily, but when the suffering will stop, we do not know, the situation is getting worse,” he said.
Md Abdur Razzak, General Secretary of the association said, as the courier service business completely depends on transportation, it has almost collapsed due to blockades.
“When we are living an insecure life, how I will ensure safety to my customers’ materials,” Abdur Razzak lamented.
The situation forced us to suspend all transportations, Razzak said.
Tanvirul Haque, chairman of Rainbow Courier Services, said, supply chain of exported and imported goods being carried by courier services has completely broken down.
“The situation is inflicting huge losses on us. My company’s earnings from sales have seen a drastic fall in last few days. It will create fund shortage to pay employees’ salaries,” he added.
 He said the service sectors are not getting business and counting huge loss, which will make us bankrupt, adding that not only service sector but also all businesses including manufacturing sectors are going to be near collapsed.
 According to sector leaders, a huge sum of money has already been invested with an expectation of good return but now they are worried. And about 20,000 workers may lose their jobs.
