The unbridled price hike of essential commodities has led the low-income, poor and extremely poor people in the Rajshahi city to lead a miserable life.
Their woes intensify even further when they fail to afford new clothes and goof foods for their families with Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the Muslims, is around the corner.
As there are no industries and other income generating scopes for work in the city, the festivity of Eid remains out of the reach of the low-income group people here.
A rickshaw-puller, Shariful Islam from Natore and now residing at Asam colony, told New Age that because of the increasing the number of auto-rickshaws, passengers now prefer battery-run vehicles to rickshaws, so they are not getting passengers.
`I won’t be able to buy new dresses for my three children,’ he lamented.
A large number of makeshift shops have already sprung up on the pavements of the city on the occasion of Eid and the vendors have already displayed new items targeting the Eid shoppers.
Footpath vendors and other people have ascribed this low-key shopping trend to the price spirals that led the fixed-income people to rein in their shopping spree.
This year, items ranging from pajama-punjabi, shirt, T-shirt, sari, salwar, kameez to readymade garments for children have been showcased in the footpath shops.
Shoes, caps, traditional perfume and other essential items for gents and children have also been showcased targeting Eid-ul Fitr shoppers.
As approached, a vendor, Mohammad Ali, selling garment items for the children at a roadside makeshift shop at Ganakpara market, expressed dissatisfaction with the sales saying, ‘The business is very dull. I did a very good business last year.’
‘A shirt is being sold at Tk 180 to Tk 200 whereas we sold the same shirt at Tk 120 last year,’ said Jamil Hossain selling shirts at his makeshift shop on Ganakpara footpath at Shaheb Bazar.
-With New Age input
