Hartals cost country Tk 18,528 cr in 3 yrs

Referring to an estimate by former finance minister and Awami League leader Shah AMS Kibria in 1998, Moudud said, "According to SAMS Kibria, the country suffers losses of Tk 386 crore for a day's hartal."

Moudud said that an end to hartal culture should be achieved through consensus among the political parties instead of enacting a law in this regard.

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Responding to Jamaat lawmaker Delwar Hossain Saydee's call attention notice that demanded a government ban on hartal through constitutional amendment, Moudud said that the government will consider it only if the political parties and parliament reach a consensus.

He said the constitution guarantees rights to protest peacefully. It does not approve of causing anarchy and damage to public properties.

"Hartal harms national interest and the country's economy," he said. "People have the right to call hartal and at the same time, they have the right to defy it," Moudud said adding that nobody has the right to bar the movement of people on hartal days.

He asked the home ministry to strictly apply the existing laws against the troublemakers during hartal hours.