FROM PAGE 3

Some iftar items can be traced back to the Mughal era.

The most popular item remains “Boro Baper Polay Khay”-- a mixture of chickpeas, minced meat, potatoes, brains, chira, egg, chicken, spices and ghee. The item is sold at Tk 600 per kg, although it was sold for Tk 500 last year.

Other famous items include -- giant beef, chicken and mutton roasts, keema rolls and paratha, borhani and different types of kebabs like Suti, Jali, Irani and Tika.

Needless to say, the list is endless. Besides, different seasonal fruits are also available at the market.

Md Hossain, has been selling Boro Baper Polay Khay at the market for the last 45 years. He said he targets selling around 120kg along with some other items like chicken and quail roast on the first day of Ramadan.

However, many said prices of most items have increased by a good range this year.

Md Harunur Rashid, a resident of Chawkbazar, said iftar items at Chawkbazar is a tradition of Dhaka but its quality has fallen in some regards as some newcomers selling iftar are not maintaining quality.

CONFUSION WITH DMP RESTRICTIONS

As there was a restriction from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to run the iftar market on the road, traders had to wait till 2:00pm to get a green signal to run the market.

Shafi Mahmud, president of Dal Beboshayee Samity, said they have requested the government to allow the traders to run the makeshift shops for a brief time in Ramadan, considering this market has been running traditionally for the last 400 years.

He said, “Police are not allowing us to conduct business here, considering the traffic congestion. But every year 60 to 70 community police personnel usually manage the traffic here. We’ll avail of their services from tomorrow.”