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Published : 13 Feb 2025, 02:12 AM
In Chattogram, buyers stand in long queues to purchase the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, or TCB, goods at subsidised rates, but limited allocation forcing many to return empty-handed.
Traders say they receive daily stock for 200 people, but several times more people gather at each location, making it impossible to serve everyone.
After a month-long pause, the TCB resumed its truck sales on Monday.
On the first day, goods were distributed across 20 locations in Wards 1-20, followed by another 20 locations in Wards 21-41 the next day.
On Wednesday, sales took place at mixed locations across the city.
Each truck is selling sugar at Tk 70 per kg, lentils at Tk 60 per kg, chickpeas at Tk 60 per kg, dates at Tk 155 per 500g, and soybean oil at Tk 100 per litre.
Buyers can purchase a package for Tk 580, which includes one kg of sugar, two kg each of lentils and chickpeas, two litres of soybean oil, and 500g of dates.
At several locations, people were seen gathering long before the trucks arrived. Many claimed to have waited since early morning.
At the Cheragi Pahar intersection on Wednesday, several hundred of men and women stood in line behind a truck, while others surrounded it from all sides.
Anwara Begum, a resident of Baluar Dighirpar, told bdnews24.com she had travelled several kilometres to buy goods.
"I came here at 7am to get my turn, but people were already waiting. The truck arrived at 10:30am, and I finally managed to buy my share at 1pm," she said.
Several others stood outside the queue, hoping to grab goods if possible, but they claimed that purchasing the items after waiting in such a long line was nearly impossible.
By 2:30pm, many people were seen leaving empty-handed.
“I queued up when the truck arrived, but there were too many people. I am going back without anything,” said Md Rashid, a local resident.
Such scenes were reportedly witnessed at multiple locations across the city.
In such a situation, dealers have found themselves in a somewhat “helpless position”.
On Wednesday, TCB dealer Suparna Store sold goods in the Cheragi Pahar area of Ward No 21.
The store's owner, Pradip Das, told bdnews24.com: "We can only serve 200 people with the allocated goods, but there are double the number of people standing here.
“There’s nothing we can do. We can only sell as much as we have been allocated."
Even representatives from the ward councillor’s office struggled to control the crowd.
Despite repeated appeals for order, people pushed and shoved, trying to get ahead. At times, the official was seen folding his hands in request.
Some customers claimed that they had queued up at the Press Club on Tuesday, expecting sales there, but TCB trucks instead arrived at Cheragi Pahar without prior announcement.
Dealer Pradip said he followed the instructions given by the ward secretary’s office.
Hillol Das, who introduced himself as a secretary’s representative, said: “There was a massive crowd at Press Club on Tuesday, and one person fell sick. That’s why [Wednesday’s] sale was moved to Cheragi Pahar.”
