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Remote people deprived of TCB’s subsidised products

Saleh Noman . Chattogram
20 Oct 2021 00:00:00 | Update: 20 Oct 2021 02:15:23
Remote people deprived of TCB’s subsidised products

People living in at least 60 upazilas, mostly in the remote coastal and hilly areas of the country, are totally deprived of buying the low-cost essential commodities of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh.

The dealers appointed by the state-run TCB for those remote areas are not able to supply the fair price products due to inaccessibility to those localities.

TCB has started a nationwide commodity sale programme at a subsidised price by using 450 mobile trucks since October 6.

Under this programme, TCB is selling four subsidized products- Sugar, Onion, edible Oil and lentils to keep the prices of essential items stable on the market.

As the dealers are not willing to sell these fair price products in such remote and unapproachable areas, it is not possible for us to sell these subsidized goods among the grassroots in around 60-65 such isolated upazilas, said Humayon Kabir, a senior executive of TCB, while talking to The Business Post.

“Most of the upazilas, where fair price products are not yet sold, are located in Chittagong, Sylhet and Barisal divisions,” he added.

According to the TCB, fair price products are not reaching the three, out of the four island upazilas. The beyond reach upazila are-Sandwip Island of Chattogram district, Kutubdia of Coxs’ Bazar district and Hatiya of Noakhali district.

Moreover, TCB’s fair price products are also not sold in any upazila of Bandarban, a remote hill district.

As the products are sold through dealers but in areas where these are not sold, the dealer may be unwilling fearing less profit or even no profit, TCB source claimed.

TCB appointed dealers get their commissions for selling these products according to the distance. For a distance of 1- 50 km, the commission is fixed at TK 5 per kg/ liter, for a distance of 50-100 km, TK 6 and for a distance of more than 100 km, the dealers get a commission of TK 6.

Dealers have to purchase the goods directly from the TCB depots in-cash and also bear the transportation costs to reach their respective destinations.

Jamal Uddin Ahamed, deputy senior executive of TCB Chattogram division said, “Dealers are not interested in selling goods in island upazila Sandwip because of higher transportation cost. TCB products are also not available in coastal Bashkhali as dealers are not active there for the same reasons.

“It is not possible for us to make any exception to the existing law of selling goods in remote areas.”

TCB's products are not being sold in most of the upazilas of hill districts Rangamati and Khagrachhari, including all the upazilas of hilly Bandarban district, he also added.

According to TCB Chattogram divisional office sources, there is no TCB dealer in the upazila of Bandarban district while appointed dealers are also not active in Kutubdia island of Coxs’ Bazar. People in St. Martin's, another well-known island in the district, are also deprived of fair-price products because the products are not being sold in Teknaf upazila as well.

TCB's products are being sold only in Maheshkhali in Coxs’ Bazar among the island upazilas as the island has direct road connectivity with the mainland.

Under the Chattogram division, TCB goods are being sold in 25 areas of Chittagong district, six in Cox's Bazar district, five in Rangamati district and four in Khagrachari district.

Most of the trucks sell goods mainly in the district of the upzila headquarters areas. Out of 25 trucks in Chattogram district, 10 trucks are selling goods in the metropolitan areas.

Quoting a TCB dealer in Sandwip island, Abu Haider, proprietor of R H Enterprise said, “The commission that TCB pays the dealers for selling its products is much less than the carrying cost. It is not possible for us to sell this product as we incur financial loss if we sell these products under the existing rules.”

“Special arrangements have to be made for coastal areas as the goods transport cost to the islands is higher, otherwise the people of the areas will be deprived from fair-price goods,” he added.

Each of the 450 trucks that sell goods across the country every day carries 1,800 kg of four items.

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