General Manager of Bashundhara City resigns amid protests by mobile phone sellers

General Manager Rabiul Islam and in-charge Mohsin Karim of Bashundhara City Shopping Complex resigned on Wednesday afternoon in the face of protest from mobile phone sellers. Also, an employee named Manzoor Alam, who was in charge during the transfer of mobile phone sellers' shops to the basement, has been withdrawn by the Bashundhara department for his involvement in bribery.

After such a decision, the owners and employees of the mobile phone shop of Bashundhara City Shopping Complex, who blocked the road in the capital's Panthapath, returned to the shop.

According to sources, a delegation of mobile vendors held talks with the Bashundhara City authorities in the evening. In the meeting, issues like charging the rent many times more than the contract, increasing the service charge and sending the mobile market to the underground (basement) suddenly will discussed. After that, it will be decided whether the movement will continue in the future or not.

A businessman who owns a basement shop told DigiBangla that although there was a rent agreement earlier, the Bashundhara authorities lured us to the basement with a rent of 250 to 300 taka per square foot. But now the rent per square foot basement 1 has been charged from 3 to 4.5 thousand taka. 2000 taka if inside basement 1; 3 to 5000 taka in front side. Basement 2 has an average rent of Tk 1200. It is not acceptable in any way. So, we are on the protest.

Several traders of Bashundhara City said, 'We are forced to take to the streets. According to the contract, the rent per square foot is 200 taka, but it is taken from 3 to 4.5 thousand taka. A photocopied receipt is provided after the rental. We are oppressed. And so, from 11 o'clock on Monday, the mobile traders as well as the traders of the entire market participated in the protest.