& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Iftar item prices shoot up by 30pc

Wasim Bin Habib and Shaheen Mollah
Fasting city residents enthusiastically snapped up traditional iftar items on the first day of Ramadan yesterday, undeterred by soaring food prices.
The prices of iftar items shot up by 20 to 30 percent this year thanks to the price hike of commodities used for preparing iftar.
But it could not keep people from all walks of life from purchasing the items according to their capacity on the first day of the holy month.
Meantime, prices of most essentials remained unchanged at their previous day’s high in the kitchen markets.
City residents started thronging the iftar shops from noon, with the rush gathering momentum in the afternoon. People in some areas, however, purchased less iftar items compared on previous year, said market sources.
Hundreds of makeshift iftar shops sprung up at different places like in front of markets and mosques, at intersections and beside lanes.
Fruits have become pricey this year. This time people showed less interest in them, said the sources.
The prices of jilapi, an integral part of if tar, rose by Tk 20-30 per kg this year compared with last year, they said. A kg of jilapi was sold for Tk 80-100 yesterday.
The price of the ubiquitous chhola boot (filed and spiced chickpeas) also rose by Tk 20-30 per kg. It was sold at Tk 80-lOOper^yesterday. ,
Puffed nee (muh)’ also marked a sharp rise this year. A kg of it was sold for Tk 55-90 yesterday. Last year the price ranged betweenTk30and50.
Though prices of beguni (a popular item prepared with aubergine), aloor chop (prepared with potato) and piyaju (made with finely chopped onion with lentil paste) remained the same on last year, its quantity dropped this year.
Different restaurants sold iftar items in their traditional packets, with prices ranging between Tk 60 and Tk 300, which are higher than the previous year.
Many traders were seen selling ice cubes at higher prices between Ik 10 and 20. Sarbet (prepared with fruit or sugar or molasses and water, a favourite with devotees during the Ramadan) was selling at Tk 5 a glass at roadside shops.
As is with everyyear, Chawkbazar in the old quarter witnessed a huge rush of consumers yesterday. Gourmands from different city parts thronged there to buy some traditional special items which are rare in other areas of the capital
Boro baper polay khai (a mixture of chickpeas, brains, minced meat, potatoes, chira, eggs, chicken, 13 spices and ghee), a popular iftar delicacy sold in Old Dhaka, giant beef and chicken roasts, shun kabab (marinated minced meat), shahi doi bora (fried and spiced lentil balls dipped in yoghurt) mutton onrhehieken cutlet? kfrua mllHft roll ofchopped meat), different types of kabab, kuna parata, hilsha eggs, borhani, matha and different sweat items are the Chawkbazar specialities.
Most of the shopkeepers there were seen selling traditional iftar items some of which trace their origins back to the Mughal era.