TCB starts selling essentials without family cards

The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has started selling essentials without family cards, a ration card provided to low-income people to get commodities at affordable prices. 

The sales began around 12.30pm on Wednesday at Topkhana Road in the capital's Segunbagicha.

During a visit to a TCB truck in Segunbagicha (Ward-20), the line was seen growing longer with time.

For now, the sale of the essentials is being done through voter ID cards, Ward-20 council office Secretary Helalur Rahman confirmed.

Kamrunnahar Begum, a consumer, told TBS that she got 2 kg soybean oil, 1 kg lentil pulse and 1 kg sugar for Tk405 today.

"I have not got my family card although I submitted my photograph and voter ID for this. Today, I showed my voter ID to buy the ration from TCB truck," she added.

When asked, Secretary Helalur Rahman told TBS that the regional office of the Dhaka South City Corporation has yet to get its hand on 4,093 cards.

"It will take seven days to fill up the card and submit them to the regional office," he said adding, "We will start distributing the cards as soon as they are approved by the regional office."

Earlier, Commerce ministry officials said no TCB products will be sold in trucks, instead, family cardholders will be able to collect products from TCB dealers across the country.

Ward-19 dealer Shariful Islam told TBS that he has already stocked the goods collected from TCB but consumers could not avail the opportunity as they did not get their cards issued from the city corporations yet.