Golam Rabbani, Gopalganj

Keeping the theme of spreading humanitarian practices among everyone, the Collector Market of Gopalganj District Sadar has started selling daily necessities, seasonal fruits and beef at affordable prices set by the government on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

This exceptional activity has been started under the overall management of the district administration, with the cooperation of volunteers from the voluntary organization Manabik Gopalganj and the Mofusal Human Rights Organization, and with the tireless efforts of coordinators Tanvir Hasan Saikat and Arman Khan Joy.

The market price of beef per kg set by the government is 700 taka.

Considering the purchasing power of people, local bull meat is available at the Collector Market of Sadar for 660 taka. Buyers can buy starting from 100 grams per person and up to a maximum of 5 kg according to their needs.

The price is 40 taka lower than the government-set price, while meat is being sold at 750 taka to 800 taka per kg in the local market. Buyers are happy to get meat at a fair price. Seasonal fruits and daily necessities are being sold at much lower prices than in the market. Preparations for the sale of cows are started by slaughtering them every morning and night. In addition to the residents of the district headquarters, men and women of various ages from other nearby upazilas also line up to buy meat with bags in their hands from the first hours of the day.

When we spoke to some meat buyers, including businessman Selim Kazi from the district headquarters, employee Reshma Khanam, housewife Ankhi Begum, former assistant teacher of the English department of Government Bangabandhu College Golam Mostafa, and media worker KM Saifur Rahman, they said that they congratulated the Gopalganj district administration and everyone at the Collector Market for being able to buy beef at such a cheap price from the Collector Market on the second day of the holy month of Ramadan. They expressed their satisfaction at being able to buy halal-slaughtered domestic beef.

Free seasonal fruits are being distributed to the blind and disabled, the backward sections of the society, from the Collector Market every day.

The buyers thanked the Gopalganj District Administration, Sadar Upazila Executive Officer and all the concerned volunteers for taking such an exceptional initiative.

Gopalganj UNO M Rakibul Hasan said, since beef has gone beyond the purchasing power of most people due to unscrupulous business syndicates during the holy month of Ramadan, the Gopalganj District Administration has taken up the sale of daily necessities, seasonal fruits and meat at the government-determined prices through the Collector Market, which will continue even after Ramadan.

He said that taking such initiatives at the upazila level will have an impact on the prices of daily necessities and beef. Unscrupulous businessmen will also be forced to sell daily necessities and meat at the government-determined prices.

The meat sale activities will run from 6 am to 3 pm. Besides, daily necessities are sold from 6 am to 10 pm.

On the ccasion of the month of Ramadan, the Collector, in collaboration with the upazila administration, has launched a free iftar distribution program for fasting people every day at the Bazar.