Most shopping malls are now open from morning till midnight, doing hectic business with the last-minute shopping ahead of the biggest festival of the Muslims.

The authorities have stepped up security in the market areas deploying huge contingents of police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), armed police and ansars.

The markets were illuminated during the first week of the Ramadan to attract customers but the authorities later banned such illuminations to conserve electricity.

However, most markets have been decorated with colourful banners, festoons and posters offering lotteries with attractive prizes for the Eid shoppers.

Sources said more than 250 markets and shopping complexes in the capital with several thousand shops are catering to the customers almost 16 to 18 hours a day.

Shops in some markets in Elephant Road, New Market and Gulshan areas remain open till 2:00 or 3:00am and it will continue till the last night before Eid.

The competition among the markets has increased as more and more shopping malls are being set up in every part of the city every month.

The customers have a lot of options to choose dresses, shoes and ornaments but the price of every item has increased, the customers alleged.

The most popular item for Eid is panjabee, which has become costly by 20 to 50 percent. The prices of T-shirt, salwar-kameez, sari and shoes have also increased.

"A panjabee which cost Tk 500 last year is selling at Tk 700 to 800," a customer said. "A T-shirt worth Tk 400 now costs Tk 550 to 600," he added.

A middle-aged woman shopper at Gausia Market said that sari prices nearly doubled in the popular market of the middle-income group.

Ahmed Latif, a customer at Gulshan Shoppers' World, said although the items are pricey, the customers are paying extra to buy Eid gifts for their near and dear ones.

A wide range of colourful readymade garments, exclusive sari and salwar kameez of new designs, shirts and trousers, panjabee, fatua are on display at the shops.

Popular markets like Eastern Plaza, Rapa Plaza, Mouchak Market, New Market, Rifles Square, Basundhara City are now bustling with thousands of Eid shoppers.

The other markets in Dhanmondi, Gulshan, Uttara, Paltan and Gulistan are also doing hectic business to meet the needs of different strata of people.

Shop owners at Basundhara City at Panthapath said they are happy with the pre-Eid sale.

Not only clothes and shoes, a wide range of electronic goods, including newly released CDs, DVDs with Eid special music albums are also selling in huge numbers.

Although the authorities have taken special measures to maintain security in the markets, the shop owners are not happy with the arrangements..

President of Bangladesh Dokan Malik Samity (Shop Owners' Association) Amir Hossain Khan said they are worried about security of the shoppers and shopkeepers. He hope that the security will be beefed up in the last two or three days before Eid.

The shop owners have identified 500 risky points in and around the markets which need adequate security to check crime.

DMP Commissioner SM Mizanur Rahman said, "We are aware of the points and we have already set up checkpoints at many places. Around 3,000 police will look after these 500 points and surrounding areas."