Dhaka, Oct. 24 -- Chattogram has seen nearly 22 garment factories shut down over the past year following the shift in Bangladesh's political landscape, leaving thousands of workers without jobs.

Factory owners say the sector is going through one of its toughest periods yet, and they see little sign of recovery ahead.

According to a list compiled by the Chattogram Industrial Police, around 22 factories across the city and the Chattogram EPZ have ceased operations in the past year. Eleven of them shut down this year, affecting more than 5,000 workers.

Assistant Superintendent of Industrial Police Jasim Uddin said the shutdowns resulted from financial distress, complications over letters of credit (LC) and a sharp fall in export orders. ...