Crowd surges for subsidised TCB products

A large crowd surged toward a Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) truck in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar on Wednesday as low- and limited-income people gathered to buy essential goods at subsidised prices.

Around 200 men and women had been waiting near Sony Cinema Hall from about 1:00pm for a TCB truck selling edible oil, sugar and lentils. When a truck later stopped near the Mirpur Heart Foundation around 2:30pm, the waiting crowd rushed toward it.

Within moments, pushing and shoving broke out as people tried to secure a place in the queue. Many struggled to maintain order as there was no proper serial system.

TCB officials said each truck carries goods for around 400 buyers, but more people often gather at sales points, leading to chaos and crowd pressure.

Buyers said they were forced to stand in long queues because prices of daily essentials remain high in the market. From the TCB truck, a consumer can buy two litres of edible oil, one kilogram of sugar and two kilograms of lentils for Tk 480, which is around Tk 220-240 cheaper than market prices.

The TCB truck sale resumed on Monday ahead of Eid-ul-Azha and will continue for 10 days, except Fridays.