Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Adviser Mohammad Anwarul Iqbal yesterday told the journalists that the decision came following discussion with the importers.

The businessmen said the cost of carrying food grains has shot up due to stricter weight restrictions for the goods vehicles on the Jamuna Bridge.

Earlier, a truck could carry around 210 sacks of rice but since declaration of emergency the authorities do not allow more than 150 sacks. As a consequence, the transport operators have raised the fare to Tk 9,000 a truck from Tk 7,000.

The LGRD adviser further said that the government would gradually shift the wholesale kitchen market at Karwan Bazar to a nearby area in Tejgaon.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has already given approval for four new kitchen markets in Dhaka city corporation area. The other three markets would be set up at Gabtoli, Lalbagh and Jatrabari.

The government is now working with the agency concerned to acquire land for that purpose, he said.