It seems to be an Eid holiday in the capital city as most shops are closed, vehicles are limited and very few commuters are seen.

The scenario depicts a Dhaka city during the 48-hour countrywide hartal programme enforced by the main opposition BNP.

But the hartal seemed to have little impact on banking transactions. People were seen going to banks to have their necessary transactions.

The insides of the bank offices, however, were less crowded as they remain on usual days. Unlike on the other regular days, the bank officials seemed to be in a bit relaxed mood. They were not seen doing their works in haste.

“Hartal mainly put impact on cash transactions as it is difficult to carry cash on hartal days, but other transactions remain almost as usual,” said Salahuddin Ahmed, a senior officer of Social Islami Bank Limited.

There clients’ arrival into the bank was almost same as it is on non-hartal days, he added.

The banks in the port city of Chittagong also reportedly passed hartal days as like as those had in the capital city, although there were few vehicles on the streets and shops with locks hanging on the shutters.

An official of Pubali Bank Ltd in the port city said cash transactions were done on limited scale plus limited arrival of the clients.

An AB Bank official also commented similarly about banking activities during the hartal days.

Banks in the district and upazilla towns reportedly appeared with no difference on hartal days from the regular days.

“Although it was a hartal today, I saw no difference in transactions from other days,” said Zahir Uddin, cash officer of Rupali Bank Limited of Eid Goan branch in Cox’s Bazar.

Describing hartal situation in the district, he said bus movements were few limited but small vehicles were seen running as usual.

He said hartal seemed to have any impact on the activities including cash transactions in their branch.

An officer of United Commercial Bank Ltd (UCBL) Sherpur branch in Habiganj, however, said the transactions were on a limited scale and gate remained closed although clients came in few numbers.

An Agrani Bank officer of Nabinagar branch in Brahman Baria, however, said there was almost no impact of hartal in their branch.

                                                                                                                                      News: Daily Sun/ Bangladesh/ July-08-2011