The paramilitary troops will also distribute vegetables, to be collected from Narsingdi, through four makeshift wholesale markets to be set up in front of Uttara Rajuk College, TT Para in Kamalapur, Mohammadpur and Adabar areas, chief coordinating officer of BDR Dal-Bhat Programme Lt Col Fazle Akbar told the news agency yesterday.

Meanwhile, BDR began monitoring the comparative retail prices of essentials at Karwanbazar, Mohammadpur, Kamalapur, New Market, Kachukhet and Kalyanpur kitchen markets.

They will also regularly monitor the retail prices of similar items at the kitchen markets of Kolkata.

The price monitoring is aimed at giving people a view on the comparative prices of the items with the prices at BDR sales centre and open markets, said a BDR official.

The items are coarse rice, packed flour, imported lentil, chhola, sugar, imported onion, soyabean oil, palm oil, milk powder and vegetables.

The comparative figures BDR released yesterday suggest that the prices of essentials at BDR sales centre are the lowest followed by the open markets compared to that of other kitchen markets in the capital as well as the Kolkata market.

Each kilogram of coarse rice is selling at Tk 18 per kg at BDR sales centre, Tk 19 at open markets and between Tk 20 and Tk 22 at other markets. At Kolkata markets, it is selling at Tk 19.30 per kg.

Packed flour is selling at Tk 24 at BDR sales centre, Tk 25 at open markets and Tk 25-26 at other markets while the price of the same in Kolkata is Tk 19.30.

The imported variety of lentil is selling at Tk 53 at BDR sales centre, at Tk 57 at open market, at Tk 55-60 at other markets in the capital and at Tk 56.14 in Kolkata.

Chhola is selling at Tk 54 at open markets, at Tk 55-60 at other markets and at Tk 52.63 in Kolkata. Sugar is selling at Tk 28 at open markets, at Tk 30-32 at other markets and Tk 28.90 in Kolkata.

Onion is selling at Tk 15 (local variety) at open markets, at Tk 20-24 at other markets and at Tk 13.60 in Kolkata.

Soyabean oil is selling at Tk 67.50 per litre at BDR sales centre, at Tk 72 at open markets, at Tk 73-78 at other markets and at Tk 102 in Kolkata. Palm oil is selling at Tk 68 per litre and at Tk 89.47 in Kolkata.

Milk powder is selling at Tk 385-405 per kg at different markets, higher than Kolkata price of Tk 229.50 per Kg.