Trading on the occasion of the New Year celebration showed a grim picture in the city this year amid low presence of customers which traders attributed to the fear of chaos before and after the national election.
Kitchen markets, shopping malls, confectioneries, flower and gift item shops, first food outlets, hotels and other restaurants witnessed considerably poor number of visitors ahead of the first day of 2019.
Businesses also pointed out that a large number of people left the city with three to four days of leave before the polls, creating a vacuum in the markets.
The night before (31st December) and the first day of the Gregorian calendar year are usually celebrated across the world.
The traders normally expect a good business in last few days of a calendar year.
"We are witnessing a dull business this year compared to that of the last year as transaction declined by around 50 per cent," Kabir Hossain, manager of Ahar, a fast food shop at Sankar in Dhanmondi, told the FE.
He said that the city unofficially turned into a holiday look on December 29 and on the polls day.
He said all the restaurants remained closed on the election day, which means no business for the day.
He said the number of customers has not increased on the following day (Monday) when the waiters usually struggle to deliver foods, especially chicken items.
Shahidul Alam Pappu, outlet manager of Coopers at Kalabagan in the city, said that the orders declined notably this year. "We usually start getting orders before the Christmas (December 25), which is absent this year."
He said they delivered a total of 450 units of orders following 'the thirty first December' of last year which has not crossed 150 units yet.
President of Bangladesh Bread Biscuit-O- Confectionery Prostutkarak Samity Mohammad Jalal Uddin said that their sales on the occasion of the New Year severely affected this year.
He said the restriction imposed by the law enforcers centering the polls has brought the lackluster trading as dwellers were not showing interest to go out.
He also pointed out that a large number of job holders also left the city as they got three to four days of leave respectively from December 28 to 31.
Arshadul Islam, owner of Fulbitan, a flower shop at Tajmahal Road in Mohammadpur, said their sales, however, started increasing from Monday noon.
"We expect sound business at least for three days ahead of a New Year celebration, but got only one day this year," he said.
He also pointed out that the supporters and activists of the winners in the general election are also buying flowers in a large quantity on the day.
However, the kitchen markets and shopping malls witnessed a low presence of buyers on Monday.
Imran Ali Master, president of Bangladesh Vegetables Wholesalers Association, said they were expecting that the sales will be normalised from Monday morning after the polls, but the transactions were still 50 per cent of normal days.
He said many people were yet to return to the city after a three-day leave.
Helal Uddin, president of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (BDMS), association of 2.0 million shop owners in the country, told the FE that transaction of shop owners in the city dropped significantly following restrictions before and during the polls.
He said many of restrictions over transportation and public movement, imposed by the election commission and the law-enforcers, discouraged people's gathering. But the situation started changing from Monday noon, he said.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com