Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) decided on Thursday to start selling five essential commodities from Sunday to keep their market prices stable during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan.
"We've decided to sell the essential commodities from May 6 across the country on the occasion of holy Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr," TCB spokesperson Md Humayun Kabir told the FE.
TCB will deploy a total of 184 trucks, from where the designated dealers will sell sugar, lentil, soybean oil, dates and check peas at subsidised rates to the consumers.
Except Friday and Saturday, the sale of essential commodities will continue on other five days of the week.
The TCB official said 32 trucks will be deployed in different areas of the capital, while 10 trucks in Chattogram metropolitan city, five trucks each in other divisional cities, and two trucks each in the district towns.
Each truck will get 300-400 kgs of sugar while 300-400 kgs of lentil, 300-400 litres of soybean oil, 300-400 kgs of check peas, and 30-50 kgs of dates as daily allocation.
Each of the dealers will get 500-700 kgs of sugar, 300-600 kgs of lentil, 300-500 litres of soybean oil, and 500-700 kgs of check peas as single allocation.
A consumer can purchase four kgs of sugar at a rate of Tk 55 per kg, four kgs of lentil at a rate of Tk 55, five litres of soybean oil at a rate of Tk 85 per litre, five kgs of check peas at a rate of Tk 70, and one kg of dates at a rate of Tk 120 per kg.
The places in the capital from where the dealers will sell the items through trucks are: in front of Bangladesh Secretariat gate, National Press Club, Kaptan Bazar, Victoria Park, Science Lab intersection, New Market/Nilkhet intersection, Shyamoli/Kalyanpur, Zigatola intersection, Khamar Bari (Farmgate), Kalmilata Bazar, Rajanighanda Super Market (Kachukhet), Agargaon Taltola and Election Commission Office, Uttara Rajlaxmi Complex, Mirpur No-1 Majar Road, Shantinagar kitchen market, Malibag kitchen market, Bashabo kitchen market, Ideal School Banasree, in front of Bangladesh Bank, Mohakhali kitchen market, Sheorapara kitchen market, Dainik Bangla intersection, Shajahanpur kitchen market, Fakirapool kitchen market and Ideal zone, in front of Motijheel Biman Office, Kilgaon Taltola kitchen market, Rampura kitchen market, Mirpur-10 intersection, Ashkona Hajj Camp, Mohammadpur Town Hall kitchen market, Dilkusha and in front of Nandipara (Madartek) Krishi Bank.
Apart from selling through trucks, TCB will also sell those five commodities through its 10 retail outlets and 2,784 dealers across the country.
Meanwhile, Our Correspondent from Chattogram added, market prices of all essential consumer goods during the upcoming Ramadan will be fixed by the local deputy commissioner (DC) office.
The price list of all goods will be displayed at the entrance of all retail shops in the local markets, and the traders will sell goods according to the list of the local administration, said DC of Chattogram Md Ilyas Hossain.
He said this at a view exchange meeting with the traders of various city markets, including Reazuddin Bazar, Khatunganj, Terri Bazar, and Pahartali Market etc in the city on Thursday.
The meeting, called by the DC, was also attended by trade-body leaders, leaders of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), additional deputy commissioner (general) of Chattogram Habibur Rahman and additional district magistrate Mashhudul Kabir.
Mr Hossain said a section of dishonest traders try to create artificial crisis of essential goods in every Ramadan, and take advantage by charging unusual prices.
"This year they will not get any chance," he further said.
The district administration has also opened a cell to monitor these things and its hotline number is 333. Any shopper can call on the hotline number and lodge complaints, if any trader does not abide by the price list of DC office, he added.
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