বাংলা 
English 
The cloth market adjoining the Poradaha railway junction in Mirpur upazila of the district plays a major role in the economic prosperity of Kushtia district and of the country as a whole. The market is held three days a week - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Trading worth around Tk 50 crore takes place here.
Talking to the traders and the buyers and sellers of the cloth market, one learns more: the market has met here since 1968. In the early days it met only one day a week, but after independence the demand for cloth and the arrival of domestic and foreign buyers have made it a three-day-a-week market today, with the cooperation of the district administration. Counting big and small, there are about 500 shops and business establishments in this market. Sources further say that several financial institutions have grown up around the Poradaha cloth market, including Islami Bank, IFIC Bank, Janata Bank, Krishi Bank and insurance companies, where transactions are made only with the local traders. Trading runs from dawn until midnight. At the same time, trucks are loaded with cloth all day for destinations across the country. A trader of the Poradaha cloth market says this is a market of long standing. Its proximity to the Indian border and the presence of the Poradaha railway junction have boosted the market's growth and publicity and raised the demand for cloth here.
He says that from his cloth warehouse, cloth worth several crore taka goes to different parts of the country three days a week. Of course, daily trading goes on as usual. Alhaj, the proprietor of Alhaj Bostra Bitan, says that sari cloth, three-piece, lungi, gamcha, towel, and cloth sold by the yard or by the bolt sell the most at this market. Because of easy transport by bus, train and other vehicles, the market's reach and the influx of wholesale buyers are growing day by day. He adds that cloth from here goes to Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Rajshahi and other parts of the country. The supply of cloth for this market comes from India and from local sources. Many of the country's cloth markets depend on the Poradaha cloth market for their supply.
Although this cloth market of Poradaha plays a significant role in the country's economy, the market itself has seen no improvement. There is no drainage system to remove water. In the monsoon season, even a little rain leaves water standing inside the market.
