TCB truck sales apparently draw to a close
One crore cardholders can buy TCB products from dealers from next month
The government has apparently brought the sales of subsidised foods in open trucks to an end through the suspension of such sales in Dhaka from Tuesday. The end of the sales was prompted by fear of an unmanageable rush of people and to ensure that products go to those who deserve it the most.
Senior Secretary at the commerce ministry Tapan Kanti Ghosh told The Business Standard that the government will start distributing soybean oil, sugar and lentils at low prices to cardholders across the country from next June after distributing family cards among the 14 lakh poor people earmarked for the two city corporations in Dhaka and the Barishal City Corporation.
Before last Ramadan, the government took an initiative to have family cards made by listing one crore families across the country. Apart from the Dhaka and Barishal city corporations, 85.9 lakh family cards have been distributed across the country.
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The commerce secretary said the cards will be given to 11 lakh families under the two city corporations of Dhaka and three lakh families under Barishal City Corporation, a list of which is being compiled by the city corporations concerned.
"If the current price of soybean oil remains unchanged, the price of the product may increase slightly. But no decision has been made yet," he added.
TCB had announced the sale of sugar and lentils and soybean oil at Tk110 per litre from Tuesday among cardholders across the country and in open trucks in the capital. The move was postponed on Monday night.
Speaking at a function at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said the decision to sell TCB products were postponed on the instructions of the prime minister. Sales will start from next month.
A number of officials at the ministry told TBS that long queues of people were observed behind TCB trucks in the capital during the last Ramadan. The TCB trucks left the places without delivering goods to people who had been waiting in line for hours as the items had run out. At the time, many people were seen running after trucks for subsidised goods. Such images were carried by newspapers and broadcast on various media outlets.
Prices of various products, including edible oil, increased in the market after Ramadan. As a result, there is a risk that queues of people behind TCB's open trucks will get longer. As a result, some policymakers think that many people may have to return home without getting the products they need. To offset such a possibility, the government has decided not to sell TCB products in open trucks.
The government has decided to stop selling products from Tuesday, considering that it will not be reasonable to distribute products among family cardholders across the country without at the same time selling the goods in Dhaka.
Commerce ministry officials said no TCB products will be sold in trucks. Family cardholders do not have to buy goods from trucks. Instead, cardholders will collect products from TCB dealers across the country.
In this regard, the commerce secretary said an app has already been developed, using which cardholders in Narayanganj and Gopalganj have received TCB products. From June, all dealers will use these apps to distribute products from their stores.
"Each card contains a QR code, which the dealer will scan from his mobile app and deliver the product. The app will automatically update when each dealer is collecting how many products and how many products are being distributed against cards," he added.
Meanwhile, talking to the ward councillors of the two city corporations of Dhaka, TBS understands that they have started the work of compiling lists of poor people in their respective areas.
Asaduzzaman Asad, councillor of Dhaka South City Corporation Ward 21 comprising Dhaka University, Shahbagh and Paribagh, told TBS, "We received instructions regarding preparing the list a few days before Eid-ul-Fitr. There are relatively fewer slum dwellers and lower income people in my area. However, we have sent a list of 700 people."
However, there are fears among the general public on whether everyone will get products if they are sold against cards. They say they could have bought products even if it was difficult to wait in queues for a long time. They fear that acquaintances of the local councillors will get the cards.
Nurunannesa Begum, a resident of Hazaribagh area, said, "We have not received any news. I don't even know how to collect the card. Even if it was difficult before, products could be bought by standing in line. Even now the opportunity does not exist."
TCB Chairman Brigadier General Md Ariful Hassan told TBS, "Those who need it the most will get this card. In the wards where there are more low-income people there will be more cards and in the wards where there are fewer low-income people fewer cards will be given."
He said in addition to local voters, other people will get this card. However, care should be taken so that no family gets double the number of cards. The cards will be distributed through councillors and city corporations.
"We do not have a plan to sell TCB products outside the card later. Without cards, there will be no discipline in sales. It has been seen that one person is taking goods every day and another family is taking them twice," he added.
