Commerce minister sees little possibility of Eid shoppers crowding malls

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi sees little possibility of shoppers crowding malls that have been allowed to reopen before Eid-ul-Fitr amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 7 May 2020, 05:25 PM
Updated : 7 May 2020, 05:25 PM

At a press conference on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Dhaka on Thursday, the minister said the government gave the malls the go-ahead to reopen at the request of the owners.

Referring to the health safety conditions, he said it will be alright if someone does not reopen shop.

“But the possibility of the shopping malls drawing customers in big numbers is very low,” he added.

Shop owners said they were facing difficult choices between putting their lives at risk of coronavirus infection and earning livelihoods as most of their annual trade takes place during Eid.

The road leading from New Market to Science Laboratory used to buzz with people and vehicles, but now the crowd is just memories. Photo: Saad Abdullah

IMPORT FROM INDIA BY TRAIN

The commerce minister said more than 2,000 trucks were stuck on the Indian side of the border due to “local politics”.

The government was planning to launch four train routes to import goods from India on an emergency basis.

The routes being considered are Jashore, Darshana, Birol and Radhikapur, he said.

The relevant ministries will sit next Sunday on the issue, he added.