Poor in extreme crisis, middle class in miseries

Syed Shemul Parvez :
Prices of essential goods, transportation costs, house rent, education costs as well as medical expenditure have become really a burden for the people of the fixed income group.
The process of increasing the prices of gas, electricity and water is also going on.
In this situation, poor people are in extreme hardship where the middle class experienced misery.
Saiful Islam, a Sales Officer of a private company, was eating bread and bananas in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar last Tuesday. Asked why did he consume bread and banana instead of rice during the lunch time, he said, “Now it costs me lesser than what rice, vegetables and pulses needed in one meal in an ordinary restaurant.
” As the cost of living increased, he ate bread and bananas at noon. He said his house rent had been increased by taka 1000 in January. Per day rickshaw fare for his child is tk 60 which was around taka 40 in the past.
The prices of all commodities including rice, pulses, oil and sugar have gone up.
Besides, at present we have to pay more bus fare which is difficult to maintain as income remains static for years. Now I have to continue borrowing every month to run my family, Saiful said.
The price of rice is high in the market now. Pulses, oil and sugar prices have risen sharply in recent times. The prices of soap, toothpaste, cosmetics, tissues and other essential commodities have gone up without valid reason.
After the increase of diesel price, the transport fare  
has increased by 30 to 40 percent. Homeowners have increased house rent this year. The costs of schoolling apparatus have also incresed.
Since Saiful Islam himself is a food supplier, he knows the market situation. He said , people with limited income are in a lot of troubles.
Prices of fish, meat and vegetables fluctuate regularly in the raw market. For the past one year, it has been seen that the price of chicken reared up in the farm has remained high throughout the year. For example, the price of broiler chicken is now more than 150 tk per kg for most of the year. Even before Corona, the price was around taka 130.
 Vendors claim chickens, food prices and transportation costs have been raised. So there is little hope to get back the previous time. Families with limited income hardly buy beef.
TCB says that now the market price of beef is taka 580 to 620 per kg. Three years ago it was around taka 500.
Consumer rights organization Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has analyzed the prices of 18 vegetables, showing that the prices of vegetables have increased by on an average 10 percent in 2020. They have not yet made the calculation for 2021. Cab officer Anwar Parvez visited the market and collected regular price information. He said, the price of vegetables has not decreased this year as much as it does in the winter season every year.
Not only food items in grocery stores and raw material markets, but also prices of daily necessities have gone up.
Salam Bipari, owner of a grocery told the media that four months ago, the price of a piece of soap was Tk 18. Now the price is taka 22.
The price of medium scented perfumed soap has gone up by taka 3 to taka 5. Half a kg of powdered soap was available for taka 45. Now it is taka 52.
The price of a medium pack of toothpaste has gone up by taka three. The price of tissue has also increased.
Those who do not have government gas connection in their houses, they are in the most trouble.
The cylinder gas (12 kg) which was taka 800-820 at the beginning of 2021 is now Taka 1,240.