The Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association has submitted a formal written application to the government requesting permission to keep all shopping malls, markets, and retail stores open until 10:00 PM, extending the current electricity-saving closing cutoff of 8:00 PM by two hours.
The written appeal, submitted on Monday, November 2, 2026, to the Minister-in-Charge of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, was jointly signed by the association’s President Md. Najmul Hasan Mahmud and General Secretary Md. Arifur Rahman Tipu. While reiterating full support for government power-saving initiatives, the leaders highlighted that enforcing an 8:00 PM shutdown during the winter season has caused severe sales slumps, footfall drops, and economic distress across major commercial centers, including Jamuna Future Park, New Market, Elephant Road, Karnaphuli Garden City, Rapa Plaza, Eastern Plaza, Islampur, and Chawkbazar.
Read nextPrime Minister Tarique Rahman Directs Comprehensive Preparedness and Rapid Rescue Capabilities to Mitigate Earthquake RisksThe association emphasized that the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) retail sector directly and indirectly sustains the livelihoods of nearly 2.5 crore people. Closing shops early deprives traders of prime evening shopping hours, pushing vulnerable small business owners toward insolvency. The trade leaders urged the government to strike a balance between power conservation and business continuity by issuing an official notification permitting markets to remain open until 10:00 PM nationwide.
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Reported by Staff Reporter • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
