Makeshift roadside Iftar markets heat up on first day of Ramadan

FE Report brA large number of Muslims thronged Tuesday roadside makeshift stalls in the city to buy crispy Iftar items on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan despite the fact that the prices of some of the items have almost doubled compared to the past year.brThe most attractive place for a variety of traditional Iftar items was the city's Chawkbazar in the old part of Dhaka.brThe city's Baily Road, Gulshan-1 and other posh areas including Dhanmondhi also witnessed a heavy rush of the fasting Muslims during the Iftar hour. brAt Chawkbazar, 'beguni', a popular item made of brinjal, was being sold at Tk 3 per piece, up by Tk 1.0 from that of last year. Prices of puffed rice ranged between Tk 90 and Tk 100 per kg. brThe prices of date, mainly imported from Middle-East countries, marked a sharp rise to range between Tk 90 and Tk 120 per kg depending on quality against Tk 60-70 per kg a year ago. br'Ghugni', an Iftar item made of chick-pea locally known as Chhola, was being sold at Tk 40 per kg against only Tk 30 of last year. brAnother item, Suti Kabab, made of beef, was sold at Tk 400 per kg, up by Tk 100 from that of the previous year.br'Shahi Jilapi', another popular item made of flour and sugar, was being sold at Tk 120 per kg, up by Tk 30 per kg. br'Boro Baper Polai Khai', a mouth-watering very traditional Iftar item of Old Dhaka, was being sold at Tk 280 per kg. Chhola was being sold at Tk 80 per kg.brAbout 500 traders, including more than a hundred part-timers, were seen selling about 200 items of Iftar to the enthusiastic customers around the Shahi Mosque.brSome shopkeepers said prices of almost all Iftar items marked sharp rise due to price hike of some essential commodities including sugar and flour. br'We are trying our best to keep the prices of Iftar items at a tolerable level,' said Kamal Uddin of Nur-e-Madina Hotel.brLow and middle-income people were found buying items like beguni, chop, sada parata, etc.brHowever, several hundred restaurants and hotels at city's Gulshan, Banani, Dhanmondi, New Market and Baily Road areas put on sale special foods alongside the common items.brThey were selling burger, pizza, sandwiches, biriani, kabab, Chinese and Thai foods, icecream, biscuits, fruits, date, peyaju and beguni.brFive-tar hotels like the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Radisson Water Garden, Dhaka Sheraton and Westin Dhaka arranged special Iftar items for the fasting Muslims.br