Bhatkal: As Eid-ul-Fitr approaches, the Bhatkal Town Municipal Council (TMC) on Tuesday allotted 36 temporary Ramzan stalls through a draw of lots, with as many as 1,359 applicants vying for the limited spaces.

The stalls will be set up along the roadside stretch from the Old Bus Stand to Marikatta Bazar, where traders traditionally sell Eid-related items such as garments, footwear and other essentials at relatively affordable prices during the festive season.

The draw of lots was conducted at Anjuman Ground in the presence of hundreds of applicants, including a large number of women.

Municipal Chief Officer Venkatesh Nauda said the civic body had identified 37 stall locations along the stretch. “One stall has been reserved for the police for security arrangements, while the remaining 36 stalls were allotted through draw of lots. One of the stalls has been reserved for a person with disability,” he said.

Nauda said the municipality had received a total of 1,359 applications for the stalls this year. The rent for each stall has been fixed at Rs 6,000, including Rs 1,000 towards sanitation charges, while the municipality charged Rs 200 for each application form.

For the selection process, slips bearing the registration numbers of all applicants were placed in a box and picked one by one by children present at the venue, after which the numbers were verified with the applicants’ names in the register and the selected names were announced.

Former municipal vice-president Mohiddin Altaf Kharuri, councillor Imshad Mukhtasar and social worker Nisar Top were present on the occasion. A police team led by PSI Naveen was also deployed at the venue to maintain order.