Prices of kitchen stuffs have shot up unusually as fresh supply is not available. City kitchen markets wore a deserted look with scant supply of vegetables.

Both traders and transport owners said the situation has occurred as all modes of transport are out of operations in the face of ongoing political unrest.

"At least 90 percent supply of vegetables in the capital is transported by trucks from across the country," said President of Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners Association GM Siraj. "But the truck operations have come to a standstill in the face of political chaos."

Senior Vice-chairman of Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger Carriers Association Md Badiuzzaman Badal said many vessels with rice, lentils, vegetables and fish are lying unloaded as labourers could not move from place to place.

Only an insignificant amount of cargos are being unloaded by mechanised boats, rickshaw vans and push carts, said Badal.

Usually each of the water vessels including passenger launch carries 700 to 800 sacks of cargos, which has now reduced to 40 to 50 sacks, he said.

Train services of Bangladesh Railway suffered sever disruption because of volatile political situation from October 28 causing acute shortage of kitchen stuffs in the city.

Manager of Kamalapur Railway Station Ashok Kumar said, "We had to cancel many train services Saturday because of turbulent situation. Though many trains started to and from Dhaka, they got stranded at different stations."

The largest wholesale chicken market and wholesale banana market at the city's Station Road (Nimtala Bazar) in Tejgaon experienced remarkable shortfall in supply.

An elderly chicken trader at the market, Mokhlesur Rahman said yesterday, "We got only two cages of chicken today whereas truckloads of chickens arrive here every day."

Shahadat Ali, another trader, said, "Only one truck with chicken arrived here last night."

The chicken market looked deserted with most shops and depots closed.

Green chilli sold at Tk 200 per kilogram in the city's kitchen markets Saturday. The price was Tk 40 just before Eid but it soared due to lack of supply. Potato, tomato and other vegetables are also selling at much higher prices.

Price of per kilo long beans has shot up from Tk 20-30 to Tk 50-70 while price of potato rose from Tk 22 to Tk 26, dried chilli from Tk 140 to Tk 160, cucumber from Tk 18 to Tk 26 and garlic from Tk 90 to Tk 120 per kilo.