Amdadul Haque
The sudden cold wave and rainfall in the last few days created a huge demand for warm clothes in the capital city. For this, the shopkeepers on the sidewalk keep a huge collection of low cost clothing.
While visiting several clothing markets in the capital this reporter observed that the poor people are suffering a lot in the cold wave and sudden rain, and they are buying warm clothes from roadsides.
Different items of clothing such as sweaters, jackets, mufflers, coats, pants, trousers, caps, cardigans and many others are being sold at footpaths and roadside clothing stores. Buyers crowding these places are mostly of low-income backgrounds looking for low-cost warm clothes.
Mostly poor people are crowding the street shops to buy second hand and cheap clothes. These second hand clothes come from abroad at low price.
A security guard Miraz Uddin of Mogbazar said, he had bought some woolen clothes for his children from a hawkers van of footpath which is very good and looks fresh and comfortable to wear.”
Street hawker Akbor Miah said “I sold some second-hand warm clothes at low cost, which are higher in demand among the poor. I collect these from Chittagong and sell in Dhaka’s road side every year. My customers are basically from low and limited income groups, including day-labourers and rickshaw-pullers.”
“I am selling near about 200 pieces of warm clothes per day which’s cost approximately tk 30,000. I think my selling has risen than last month, because I used to sell only 100-120 pieces of warm clothes in last month,” he added.
Morzina Begum of Begubari slum said, “We have been suffering in the extreme cold over last few days, so I have come to buy some warm clothes for me and my family.”
Rickshaw-puller Abdul Karim said, " I am facing problems with my family due to not being able to drive my rickshaw every day. ”
Demand for warm clothes is increasing in the roadside markets. Seasonal traders are sitting with warm clothes in the sidewalk and selling to the buyers. A huge number of men and women are crowding the roadside shops every day because of the cheaper prices.
