I think every one of you has heard of the massive fire that broke out at Bangabazar market. News Link. It was renowned for its cheap and affordable prices. Almost 3000 shops are burnt into ashes. It's Eid season, and throughout the whole year, they wait for this time, and this year it has turned into a tragedy that most of them won't be able to recover from.
Hundreds of posts from the morning on social media, those pictures and videos are really devastating.
Image source
The shop owners, who have lost millions in bdt, many of them might have the capabilities to stand up within years as they have had done business here for a long time. But I was watching many stories like establishing a new business there, or many who have had everything invested here and now all are gone. Few statements are so devastating that you will be able to feel the voice that is coming from the core of their heart, you would be able to feel the emptiness they are feeling.
Also, the thousands of workers who used to work there, they were serving with a desire to get a better wage than usual as this is Eid season, and their families were dependent on that. Those families will be suffering too. Can you believe how many families depend on more than 3000 shops? Count the shop owners and possible workers working on every shop, a huge number.
Now let's talk about a few bitter truths. This building was marked as a major fire risk four years ago, the fire service authorities had hung a signboard and informed the committee too. But they didn't listen to this and continued running; the committee is to blame who regulate the market and decisions. If they had listened to them and reconstructed the market, then they might not have had to witness what happened today.
This issue is not something new; lots of such incidents happened due to negligence from the authorities. Many more are yet to come, yeap this is the truth.
Usually, I don't talk or comment on such things as this incident will be on trend for a few days, something new will appear, and all our sentiments and eagerness will be shifted there. That's how it's been going on; that's how the feed of our social media and our news media works. But those affected people are gonna bear the marks for a lifetime; those who have lost will have this nightmare that they won't be able to forget.
For the last couple of days, people were busy with someone who tried to scam a foreigner, got furious at him, and then people started to argue against why he was arrested, and then again, they are now mocking the system for releasing him with a fine of 200 bdt. Now this story is lost, no one will talk about him, that's a gone case. But that person won't forget these; people around him will always look back at him and judge him for his deeds and controversies. The arrest of a journalist over a controversial topic published on independence day. Anything to comment on? Nope. Maybe a murder? We mourned and protested for a few days on social media. And after a few days, we threw that topic into the trash bin and never looked back. But the victim's family? Did we feel them? Nor will we ever be able to do so.
Whether it's a sad one or a funny incident, I don't get the enthusiasm to say anything or comment as I know these won't reach them, and we're gonna move ahead soon like it never happened. A new day, a new incident, everyone's sentiment shifts so fast and it makes me amazed; I get offended on seeing that. I don't participate in sharing and writing activities on a daily basis, but somehow I am the same too; mine will be shifted too, that I can't control; that's how it's been going on.
May the Almighty give them the strength to cope with the situation and their wheels of life starts to roll again.