Chittagong district administration, Chittagong City Corporation, and Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries will jointly launch market monitoring drives from June 1 in the city to keep the prices of essential commodities stable during Ramadan.

The decision came from a views-exchange meeting organised by the district administration in the conference room of Circuit House in the city yesterday.

At the meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Mejhbah Uddin, business leaders assured the participants of no "unreasonable" price hike of essentials.

CCCI President Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury emphasised a stop to extortion by police from the vehicles used for transporting essential items on highways.

CCC Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin said importers also should take necessary steps so that no artificial crisis was created in the markets.

Later, the mayor declared conducting mobile courts on behalf of CCC in coordination with the district administration in 41 wards.

Due to stability in world market, prices of almost all the commodities, except chickpeas and lentils, have remained stable in the country, said Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber Director Abul Bashar Chowdhury.

Of the total two lakh tonnes of demand, around 7,000 tonnes of chickpeas are imported from Myanmar and the remaining from Australia and Ethiopia, he said, adding that now the price of the item was a little high in the world market.