A concerning scene has emerged in the iftar market of Jatrabari, where most of the stalls are open, raising concerns among buyers regarding food safety.
On-site observations show that from the Doyaganj intersection to the entire Shahid Faruk Road, iftar vendors have taken over the area.
Similarly, iftar stalls are found at Jatrabari Chowrasta, Park Mor, and Jurain, with many adjacent to each other.
The situation is similar in the alleyways as well.
From around 2pm until the time of iftar, the entire Jatrabari area becomes crowded with the shouting of buyers and sellers.
Small, mobile stalls offer regular items like chickpeas, puffed rice, potato chops, onion fritters, and beguni (fried eggplant).
Larger hotels offer additional items like mutton leg roast, whole chicken leg roast, quail roast, murgh musallam, beef kebabs, chicken tikka, jalebi, and haleem.
However, many buyers have expressed concerns about the environment and food safety at the street-side stalls.
Due to Jatrabari being a major entry point to the capital, there is already heavy traffic in the area, leading to an increase in dust and dirt.
However, compared to this, there is little visible caution in the iftar stalls.
Nuruddin Mia, a buyer from Shahid Faruk Road and a lawyer, has been living in the area for the past five years. Being a food lover, he prefers to buy iftar from outside.
He said while he does not find traditional items like those in Puran Dhaka, the quality is fairly acceptable.
As a result, he buys iftar from this area every Ramadan. However, he said the majority of the stalls are covered in dust.
Some vendors are somewhat conscious of this, but most seem indifferent, he added.
Another buyer, Sakina Begum from Jurain, said she occasionally comes to buy iftar during Ramadan.
Due to the dusty environment, she urged vendors to cover the food as much as possible.
Habib, a vendor from Al Islam Hotel and Restaurant on Shahid Faruk Road, said: “This area has a lot of dust, so we try to cover the food. However, due to the rush of customers, sometimes situations arise where it nos not possible to cover everything properly.”
Md Masum Arefin, deputy director (Complaint Division) of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, said: “We are always committed to ensuring safe food for consumers. Our mobile teams are working in various areas of the capital, including Jatrabari, to monitor open iftar markets at the start of this Ramadan.”
This operation will continue throughout the month of Ramadan, he added.
