Commoners, especially those on low or fixed incomes, are facing hardship as living cost has risen manifold because of the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities like rice, fish, meat and vegetables. Gas, electricity, transportation and housing have become costlier over the years, but the income of the average public has not increased proportionally. Most of them have difficulty meeting their daily expenses in the capital. Talking to daily sun, many said life is becoming tougher due to exorbitant prices of commodities and other essential utilities. “My shop rent and other expenditure have multiplied, but my income has not increased. It’s tough to meet the ever-expanding family needs. Low earners are passing hard days. Even many small traders are being forced to shut their businesses,” said Iqbal, a small trader. Kamrul Hasan does a private job. He said, “There is a yawning gap between my income and the rising upkeep costs. ”Many say that their income or wages have not increased the way the salaries of public servants have increased. Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan, general secretary of Consumers Association of Bangladesh, said living cost has gone beyond the people’s purchasing power. According to grocers, sugar now sells at Tk 70 per kg, garlic (Indian) at Tk 240 to Tk 250 per kg, potato (white) at Tk 2,000 per sack (80 kg), soyabean oil at Tk 100 per litre and Habi rice at Tk 1,950 per sack (50 kg).Vegetable prices have almost doubled. Five kilogrammes of brinjal are selling at Tk 250 and green chilli (5kg) at Tk 500.Prices of rice of different varieties have increased by Tk 5 to Tk 10 per kg. Bread and biscuits have become pricey. House rent also has shot up abnormally, he pointed out.A concerted effort should be made by commerce and industries ministries, RAB, BSTI and city corporations to monitor market. Mobile court should be run round the year to go tough on market manipulators, Humayun added. He suggested that the city corporations should act against such manipulation. Dr Shah Ehsan Habib, a professor of sociology at Dhaka University, said living costs are increasing fast. “Unlike the neighbouring countries, our government has no control over the price hike of essentials.”In such a situation, he thinks, people in the low, middle and even high-income groups need to supplement their income by doing odd jobs.The salary in the private sector has not increased compared to that in the public sector, Ehsan said. An anarchic situation is prevailing in the medical services as well. Poor people have to depend on the ‘poor’ treatment of the public hospitals. He said transport cost also makes a dent in the common people’s income. Vegetable prices are relatively lower in other districts but Dhaka’s residents have to spend more for greens.The carrying cost of vegetables is very high as businessmen have to pay tolls in many places. Besides, dishonest brokers are engaged in hiking prices.Prof Begum Syeda Tahera, who teaches economics at Chittagong University, said prices of goods like food products and drugs have now spiked sharply than before. “Workers sometimes become unemployed because of factory closures. Productivity depends on how the workforce live their lives,” she argued. Tahera said it is normal that workers get salary, bonus and other facilities on time, but they sometimes have to go on strike for wages. Besides, income disparity between the private and public sectors should be eliminated.
