Most streets of Dhaka, except some areas of the new Dhaka, have a street market operating to meet the daily needs of the nearby inhabitants. Although the markets are officially illegal they provide an important service as well as a livelihood for a huge number people in Dhaka City, particularly among recent migrants from the villages. Government have tried but failed to evict these markets, largely because they are popular and provide employment. There is no doubt the street markets are one of the main causes of heavy traffic congestion but people on the whole are prepared to live with this feature of modern Dhaka if other services are provided. Moreover, there is another, hidden cause relating to the markets that involves political uses, corruption and taking chada (regular amounts of so-called protection money from the street shopkeepers) by local goondas (gangsters) and terrorists, which is a major concern for the city administration.
Mirpur-10 Gulchakkar, the centre point of Mirpur, is one of the busiest areas of Dhaka City. For this reason, it is heavily populated with crowds of people from morning to evening. In the early morning and the afternoon the area becomes totally filled up with buses, garment workers, rickshaw pullers, other workers and slum dwellers along with office employees. For this reason alone 5-7 P.M is the peak time for the street markets. The marginalized communities of the city don’t have ability to go ‘brand shopping’, so they come regularly to these markets to buy products, particularly dresses and fashion products at cheaper prices. They don’t care about lasting quality, as they know the price is very low and the items easily replaced.
The Mirpur Street Market is the second biggest street market of the city. Family wear, toys, cosmetics, fashion products along with many other products are available along with fruits, books, tea, and pirated CDs/DVDs. Approximately 700 types products are on sale in the floating shops of the street markets. The markets are open everyday from 7:00 AM and until 11:00 PM.