No cacophony of metals clinking, no yelling of experts to apprentice mechanics, only skeletons of under-repair vehicles parked by the roadside testifies that there used to be automobile workshops on Motiheel's Culvert Road. These days, an eerie silence pervades the area.

Ever since the government's stay-home order, the scenario of Culvert Road's workshop hub has changed immensely, along with the fate of motor mechanics who worked there.

These workers -- who help keep the wheels of the transport sector moving -- are now struggling to take care of their families.

According to Bangladesh Automobile Workshop Malik Samity (BAWMS), about three lakh people living on automobile workshop earnings are facing hardship during the shutdown.

Not only them, the backward linkage industries that gear the transport sector are also feeling the pinch of the economic debilitation caused by the novel coronavirus.

According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), vehicles and parts worth around Tk 1,147 crore were imported only in January this year, from which the government earned a huge revenue.

The government also collects a lot of revenue from automobile workshops. However, when traders and workers find themselves in trouble, the government is nowhere to be seen, union leaders alleged.

"We pay tax and VAT worth nearly Tk 1,000 crore to the government each year. But during this time of crisis, they're indifferent to our plight," said BAWMS Secretary General Jahangir Alam. The organisation represents 20,000 workshops around the country.

In Jashore municipality, several hundred automobile workshop workers demonstrated for relief in the last week of April, sources said.

Most motor mechanics get paid on a weekly basis. As the closure has prolonged, they have already finished their meager savings, said Shahin Kabir, general secretary of BAWMS Jashore unit. The unit has nearly 1,000 registered workshops where over 3,000 people work.

Shahin said he sought help from district administration, municipality and three large private transport manufacturers on the last week of April.

Unable to pay salaries, workshop owners have turned to banks, but to no avail. "Banks have denied giving us loans," Jahangir said. "We need the money to pay our staff and keep the industry alive."

TOUGH TIME FOR LINKAGE INDUSTRIES

Besides the workshops, people involved in the motor parts business are also going through tough times.

Bangladesh Auto Spare Parts Merchants and Manufacturers Association has 20,000 registered members across the country, its treasurer Abul Kashem Azad Bepari told The Daily Star.

Many of these small entrepreneurs have limited income. "When the lockdown started, many went home with Tk 10,000 to Tk 20,000 of savings. After so many days of closure, they are now knee-deep in debt, he said.

Saleh Ahmed, owner of Siam Motors in Sayedabad Bus Terminal area, said his earning is Tk 1 lakh to Tk 2 lakh per month during normal times.

"I shut my shop on March 24. Since then I'm bearing my family expenditure and staff salaries from my savings," he said. Ahmed sells all sorts of parts and tyres of bus, mini-bus, SUVs and sedans.

Contacted, Bangladesh Motor Parts and Tyre Tube Merchants Association Secretary Md Aslam said, "We'll incur at least Tk 3,000 crore loss during the crisis."

The association has 3,000 members and over 20,000 staff working in the industry.

Aslam, however, said they are still willing to extend their support to the government. "If the closure is extended, we'll keep our shops shut for the sake of public safety," he added.