Traders not maintaining price charts of essentials
Prices of the daily essentials went beyond the purchasing capacity of commoners on the first day of Ramadan, the month of fasting, as traders are not maintaining price charts fixed by the authorities concerned.
Visiting different kitchen markets in different parts of the capital including Karwan Bazar and Hatirpul, our correspondent found that prices of the daily essentials mentioned on boards hung at the entry point of the kitchen markets have no similarity with the market price.
Dhaka north and south city corporations have set up the boards at the kitchen markets in Dhaka city fixing prices of the daily essentials but the price rates were found reportedly erased from the boards.
A group of dishonest people have erased the price rates so that consumers cannot place any argument against the market prices, said a vegetable trader at Karwan Bazar kitchen market.
“There is no discipline and control in the city’s kitchen markets. Vegetable traders are increasing prices as their wills,” Shamsul, a buyer at Hatirpul market, told The Daily Star.
Karim, a meat trader of the market, said he was selling beef at Tk 475 per Kg that has been fixed by the DCC ahead of the Ramadan.
“We are counting huge loss by selling beef at the fixed price due to extortion in the cattle market,” he added.
The prices of beef, buffalo meat and mutton (goat and sheep) have been fixed at Tk 475, Tk 440, Tk 725 and Tk 620 respectively per kilogramme for nearly the whole of Ramadan.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon fixed the prices sitting with meat merchants in Nagar Bhaban on May 23.
Visiting different meat shops, the reporter found that most of the meat traders are selling meat ignoring the price rate.
“All the grocery shop owners are above of rules and control and we have been plunged into a crisis in the face of the price spiral of the daily essential,” said Nurjahan, a consumer.
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