The government has extended the operating hours for shops and shopping malls from 11 AM to 9 PM following demands from traders. This decision was confirmed by the Bangladesh Shop Owners Association. The Minister of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, informed the Association's President, Mo. Helal Uddin, of this change in a phone call on Thursday afternoon.
The Association's President thanked Prime Minister Tareq Rahman and Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud for this decision. Previously, due to the global energy crisis caused by the Middle East conflict, the government had reduced the operating hours of shops and malls to 6 PM. However, following requests from the shop owners, the hours were extended by one hour.
Before Eid-ul-Adha, the government relaxed the operating hours for shops and malls. After Eid, strict enforcement of the 7 PM closing time was imposed. Traders demanded that shops and malls be allowed to operate from 12 PM to 10 PM. The government has now announced that shops and malls can operate from 11 AM to 9 PM.
