While the government on Sunday extended business hours for markets, shops and malls by an hour till 7:00pm, many shops and some markets remained opened beyond the new time limit.

During visits to Nilkhet, Azimpur and Dhanmondi areas, many markets and showrooms, including Nilkhet Book Market, Jahir AC-Non AC Market, Transcom showroom at Dhanmondi-27 and Miniso at Dhanmondi-2 were found open after 7:00pm.

During a visit at Shimanto Square at about 7:45pm, some food courts on the ground floor and several cosmetics shops on the second floor were found still open.

Earlier on the day, the government extended the business hours to 7:00pm from 6:00pm against the traders’ request for allowing the shops, shopping malls and markets to remain open until 8:00pm.

‘A decision to increase the shopping hours by an hour until 7:00pm was taken on the day responding to an appeal from businesses,’ sate minister for power, energy and mineral resources Anindya Islam told reporters at the secretariat.

On Thursday, the cabinet asked shop owners to close the outlets by 6:00pm as part of austerity measures on the back of war disrupting supply of fuel oils, but business hours was extended by one hour after traders appealed to the prime minister for two hours’ extension.

MINISO, a showroom selling luxury items, were found operating their business at Dhanmondi-2 about 7:50pm Sunday.

Showroom employee Md Shakil Hossain said that they did not know anything about the mandatory closing hour of 7:00pm.

A Transcom electronics showroom was found open at Dhanmondi-27 at about 8:00pm.

Its assistant branch manager Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal, said that they were waiting for office staff members for closing the showroom, while welcoming consumers for last-minute sale.

Shopping malls and markets largely defied the initial directive for business closure by 6:00pm from Friday, a measure the government took in a bid to minimise energy consumption amid the ongoing Gulf conflict.

The Bangladesh Shop Owner’s Association in a press release on Friday urged the prime minister to reconsider its decision, requesting to be allowed keep malls and shops open from 11:00am to 8:00pm instead of from 9:00am to 6:00pm.

Signed by association president Md Nazmul Hasan Mahmud and general secretary Md Arifur Rahman Tipu, the release said that they urged the prime minister to reconsider the decision taking into account the livelihoods of about the 70 lakh shop owners and their 2.5 crore employees.

The government directive limiting business hours excludes medicine shops and restaurants.