Ensconced in a typically narrow lane of old Dhaka, his shop is adorned with various kinds of tools and different sizes of forma. Wooden beams are neatly stacked in one corner.

Ali, who hails from Dohar of Dhaka district, said that this is a traditional profession and there are around 15 such factories in the area.

"I have been doing this for the last 20 years," he said while engrossed in chiselling out a forma.

"We sell the forma to leather shoe traders and shoe factory owners of Malitola," he said.

"I can make three or four pairs of forma a day. Previously we used to sell each pair at Tk 50, but now a pair is priced between Tk 200 to 400," he said.

The main raw material for making forma is wood from the babla tree. The wood is purchased from timber traders at Gosaibari and Swarighat once or twice a month.

"Previously the price of 1KB (1.5 sipti) was Tk 250, but now the price is Tk 320 per KB. Therefore, even though we are selling a pair of forma at a higher price than before, it is still hard to survive," said Dulal, Ali's assistant.

"The business has not been going well for the last few months because the hawkers who sell cheap footwear on the roadside were evicted. These hawkers sell most of the locally made leather shoes to people from the low-income group. When the shoe traders incurred loss due to the eviction, we shoe-forma makers also felt a dip in business," said Ali.

"I do not have a shop of my own. I work in rented shops, so we cannot remain at one place for long. Since landlords increase rent every year, we have to move after two or three years. Previously, my shop was at Sikkatuli, Siddiqbazar and many other places," he said.

"I could boost my business if I could avail myself of small loans. Under the existing system of taking such loans, I will have to pay daily or weekly instalments, which is not possible for small traders like me. However, for the last few months these loans are also proscribed due to government regulations unknown to me," he added.