The shop owners of Dhaka’s Bongo Bazar, whose businesses were reduced to ashes in the devastating fire of April 2023, had long dreamed of rebuilding their lives through a new market complex.
That dream seemed within reach when construction of the Bongo Bazar Complex began about a year later in the capital’s Fulbaria area in Gulistan, promising rehabilitation for the affected traders.
But their hopes are now in limbo. The crucial project – a ten-story complex on 106.28 kathas of land, designed to house 2,370 shops gutted in the fire – has become mired in allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement, and repeated delays.
As a result, hundreds of fire-hit shop owners remain uncertain about when, or if, they will be able to restart their businesses.
Although the new complex was intended to rehabilitate the fire-affected shop owners, allegations have surfaced that another 591 individuals were added to the beneficiary list under questionable circumstances.
Former Awami League MP from Kishoreganj, Afzal Hossain along with his associates Shahabuddin Ahmed, Zahidul Islam, Nazmul Huda, and Mojammel Hossain Majhu, has been accused of forming a syndicate to manipulate the list.
These additional individuals, many from districts such as Kishoreganj, Noakhali, and Brahmanbaria, secured their inclusion by paying between Tk10 lakh and Tk25 lakh each, said Noor Islam, president of the Fulbaria Adarsha Market Shop Owners Association.
On behalf of the original shop owners, Noor Islam filed a formal complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding the alleged corruption. ACC Director Ariful Islam confirmed that an investigation into the irregular additions is ongoing.
The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has been instructed to halt all financial transactions related to the 591 individuals until the investigation is concluded, Ariful told TIMES of Bangladesh.
Construction crawls, traders in limbo
Despite the construction of the complex began over a year earlier, progress has been slow.
According to Mir Al Mamun, general secretary of the Bongo Bazaar Complex Shop Owners Association, only the basement and the first-floor roof slab have been completed.
“A tender for this phase amounted to Tk46 crore, but the DSCC has stated that there are no funds available for further tenders,” he said.
Moreover, Tk86 crore, designated for “Salami” (advance payments for the shops), was allegedly misappropriated by former DSCC mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh – who is currently in hiding abroad – for other purposes.
As a result, the complex, which was planned to have ten-story, has only reached the first floor.
Despite efforts to engage the DSCC for clarity, affected shop owners are facing delays, and in confusion.
According to Abdul Baset, executive president of the association, the original traders of the market began their business since 2004 paying Tk20,000 to the then united Dhaka City Corporation as token money. With that, they got ownership. They had paid another Tk4 lakh in two phases in 2013 and 2024.
Baset said shop owners have been willing to contribute an additional Tk2 lakh each to continue construction of the complex, but the DSCC was refusing to accept.
Fire investigation stalled
The lack of progress in the investigation into the fire itself has deepened uncertainty. Some business owners allege the blaze was deliberate, but police inquiries have so far produced no substantial results.
Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Khalid Munshur said several individuals were arrested in connection with the incident, but the case remains unresolved.
Former Awami League lawmaker Afzal Hossain, who was president of the association, is currently in prison in a murder case linked to the July Uprising mass killings.
His associate Nazmul Huda, arrested in the Bangabazar fire and sabotage case, is now out on bail and remains untraceable. Another accused in the fire case, Zahirul Islam, is still absconding.
Another associate of Afzal, Mozammel Haque Maju, told TIMES of Bangladesh that he has already given his statement there to the ACC, declining to make any further comment.
Construction costs under a cloud
The financial situation surrounding the construction is also unclear.
Mohammad Golam Kibria, executive engineer (Urban) of the DSCC, reported that out of Tk125 crore collected from 2,961 shop owners, only Tk46 crore has been used for construction.
The remaining funds were spent elsewhere during Fazle Noor Taposh’s tenure as mayor, he said in a recent meeting with the Shop Owners Association.
Abu Nasir Kochi, tax officer (Market Branch) of the DSCC, said the corporation is fully cooperating with the ACC’s investigation and no money is being collected from the 591 individuals until further notice.
“The next steps will be determined after a meeting with the shop owners’ association,” he added.
An account was opened to support the affected shop owners, with Tk6.19 crore donated by various organisations and individuals, including members of the transgender community. However, none of the affected traders has received any compensation, and the fund remains idle in bank accounts.
What’s in the new complex
The fire that broke out in the early hours of 4 April 2023 devastated Bongo Bazar, leaving thousands of traders without livelihoods. The total loss was estimated at Tk305 crore.
The new complex, once completed, is planned to include four blocks, five common staircases, six emergency staircases, and 3,213 shops, each ranging from 80 to 110 square feet. It will also feature food courts, separate restrooms on every floor, and eight lifts – four for passengers and four for goods.
The new complex is being built by merging Fulbaria Adarsha Market, Mahanagar Market, Gulistan Market, and Bongo Bazar Market.
The complex, with an estimated cost of Tk365 crore, is scheduled for completion in 2028. The contractor for the complex is Orpi Engineering.
