Some of them are garment factory workers, some are night guards, some drivers, and some are students. They dreamed of a better life at Madhya Badda Pushkuniparha.
Published : 21 Jul 2015, 01:08 AM
But all of them saw their dreams going up in smoke in a devastating fire on Monday.
The fire burnt to ashes a boarding house, several shops and more than 100 shanties.
BAF Shaheen College student Alam Taj, who used to live in a room of the tin-shed lodging house with his uncle since 2010, has lost all his belongings including books to the blaze.
Begum could, however, find consolation in the fact that her two sons had survived the fire.
“They were inside. Thank Allah... They managed to get out of the house. Otherwise, I might have had to jump into that fire,” she said.
Microbus driver ‘Rana’ used to live in one of the shanties for the last 12 years. Hearing about the fire, he had rushed to the area only to find everything being engulfed by the blaze.
He said: “I’d bought a fridge and a cot on credit. I’m yet to pay the money. Now how will I pay?
Rozina Begum, a former garment worker living in a shanty, said: “I just jumped out (of the house) hearing about the fire. I could not take anything out.”