People from lower to middle-class backgrounds endure long queues at the open market sales points of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh in Dhaka city as rising inflation pushed essential commodity prices higher.聽
Despite waiting for hours, many consumers were even had to return empty-handed, as each of the OMS truck carried goods at subsidised rate for only 350 people.聽 聽
Several consumers complained that the TCB trucks did not stick to specific times or locations, causing additional suffering to them.
Although the official time for OMS trucks to arrive at their spots is 9:00am, visits to several locations, including Farmgate and Karwan Bazar on Monday, found that the trucks often reached the spots around 12:00noon or even as late as 2:00pm.
Mahfuza, a housewife from middle-class background, said she had waited around five hours in a queue at Lalmatia on November 23 to purchase TCB goods, but they were sold out before she could buy any.
鈥楾wo of my three children study in an English medium school, and the prices of essential commodities are very high in the market. I could save around Tk聽200鈥揟k聽300 if I could buy TCB goods,鈥� said the housewife, who was unlikely to get the goods on Monday either, as she stood at the very end of the long queue at Farmgate.
She also alleged that some individuals purchase multiple times due to a lack of proper monitoring.
TCB, which began selling goods on 50 trucks in the capital and 20 trucks in Chattogram from October 24, offers each litre of edible oil at Tk聽100, each kilogram of mashur dal at Tk聽60, rice at Tk 30 per kilogram, and potatoes at Tk聽40 per kilogram.
A consumer could purchase a package that includes 2 liters of soybean oil, 2 kilograms of mashur dal (lentils), 5 kilograms of rice, and 3 kilograms of potatoes at a time, spending a total of Tk 590, while the same products would cost at least Tk聽1,015 in the open market.
Honufa, who rushed to Kawran Bazar point at 2:00pm after failing to purchase goods at Farmgate on Monday, said she couldn鈥簍 remember the last time she bought meat or big fish.
鈥楾hese days, vegetables are also so pricey, so we regularly take rice with mashur dal,鈥� said Honufa, who works in a hotel for Tk 200 a day.
Amir Hossain, a private car driver, said he had to wait for around three hours to buy the goods.
鈥業f the spots and times for OMS were fixed, we could plan accordingly, as we have jobs to attend,鈥� he said.
Beside children, women, men and elderly people from diverse professions, including rickshaw pullers and domestic help, persons with disabilities like Asma Begum also joined the TCB queues, who struggles to walk properly due to severe leg injuries from a road accident.
Asma, who survives by begging, lost her husband eight years ago and has no children. She said that she purchases TCB goods for a neighbour, and for each purchase, the neighbour gives her Tk 100.聽
鈥楾k 100 is lot for me as people do not want to give away money these days. Also, it is difficult for me to walk,鈥� she added.
Inflation has been prevailing at a decade-high since 2023. The food inflation recorded at 12.66 per cent by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics mainly pushed up the general inflation to 10.87 per cent in October.
When asked, Md Humayun Kabir, joint director (office in-charge) and information officer of the TCB Dhaka regional office, said that the loading of goods starts at 8:00am, which takes time, and added that traffic jam on the roads also causes delays.
He further said that there are no fixed spots for OMS sales as sellers often prioritise known customers of the locality. The TCB distributes goods across up to 175 locations in the capital each week, except on Fridays.
In addition to the OMS programme, one crore people with family cards receive TCB products once a month throughout the year.