Town Hall Market | টাউন হল বাজার: Mohammadpur and Lalmatia are closed to the developed up-markets area of Dhanmondi but they have some way to go before they rival this major suburb. The area is still largely underdeveloped although most of the local people are middle or lower middle class. Nowadays some high-rise and modern apartment buildings can be found in the areas but the number is limited. The main market in the suburb is the Town Hall Market, which is big and retails all kinds of needed daily products. Despite its size and popularity the market has not been modernized. There are three mosques in the bazaar area, which indicates the piousness of the local inhabitants.
This bazaar started after independence and has been administered and extended by the city corporation. There is a large two-storied building but the vegetable and fruit markets still sit in an open-air environment.
There are a variety of items sold in the stores of this market. The ground floor of the building is totally covered with shops but the first floor is still not yet open. At the front of the first floor a number of notary public advocates’ offices can be found.
Beside the retail sellers there are also some wholesale shops selling to the community. Vegetables, fish, meat, broiler hens, eggs, grocery items, stationery, crockery and daily needs are widely sold in the market. At the front of the market there is a corner of where a translation service is located, close to the offices of the notaries. There are also as hawkers area and floating tea stalls, selling snacks such as chopori and kebabs.
Just behind of Town Hall Market there is a newly built mosque where plastic items and crockery are sold.
A notable feature of the Town Hall Market is the Labor Market. Early every morning a huge number of laborers, who are mostly construction workers, assemble here hoping for work.
Although this market is situated inside Dhaka and administered by the civic body, there are strong rumors that it is a center for the drug business, which is controlled by a local gang. A few years ago the popular city campaigner against drugs, Raju, was killed here, it is alleged by the gang. There is now a monument in front of the market dedicated to Raju. The law and order situation has improved in the democratic environment that now prevails and the influence of the gang appears diminished.