The number of consumers gathering at the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh鈥檚 mobile trucks has surged significantly, as low- and middle-income families sought essential goods at subsidised prices at various points in the capital, Dhaka, on Wednesday.
However, the excessive crowd frequently resulted in indiscipline and even chaos at several points, making聽it difficult for the salespersons to maintain smooth management.
They said that the main problem was that many people arrived late yet tried to push their way to the front of the queue, creating a chaotic situation.
However, despite some incidents of indiscipline, there were no significant incidents of chaos, assaults, or attacks during this phase, they claimed.聽
TCB resumed selling essential commodities to 500 consumers daily at various selling points in the capital and other locations across the country on Sunday.
Under the programme, 2 litres of soybean oil would be sold at Tk 230, 1 kg of sugar at Tk 80, and 2 kg of lentils at Tk 140, while the market prices of these products were Tk 378, Tk 115, and Tk 270, respectively.
TCB sold essentials at subsidised prices at 60 spots in Dhaka city on Wednesday.
Arif Hossain, a mess-dweller at Kallyanpur, told 抖阴精品 that he arrived at the Kallyanpur bus stand selling point at around 9:00 am.
鈥楾he management was good, but a number of people tried to push on the queue even after arriving later, which created a disciplinary situation,鈥� he added.
Shefaly Begum, a household worker, said that the chaos was slightly reduced due to the expansion of the number to 500.
鈥楤ut we heard that some of the consumers come earlier and receive products several times,鈥� she added, while buying essentials at the Agargaon 60-feet road selling point.
Meanwhile, the TCB dealers and salespersons denied the allegations, stating that the management was good, except for the incident of breaking the queue.
Jony Ahmed, proprietor of Rachit Enterprise, which sold essentials at Kallyanpur point, said that they used a marker pen to tackle repetitions.
鈥榃hoever was coming, we marked his hand with a marker pen so that they couldn鈥檛 take products again,鈥� he added.
Shafiq Uz Zaman, proprietor of Johura Traders, a dealer at the Agargaon 60-feet road point, also took the same step to tackle recurrence.
However, at that point, an undisciplined situation occurred around 11:10 am, when two women tried to push their way into the queue after arriving late, and the other people started screaming.
The government resumed the truck sale at a time when almost all essential commodities had witnessed a sharp increase in prices, including onions, eggs, chickens, and vegetables.
Moreover, the country鈥檚 general inflation slightly rose to 8.55 per cent in July 2025 from 8.48 per cent a month earlier, driven mainly by higher food prices, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data.
In July, the food inflation rose to 7.56 per cent, up from 7.39 per cent in June, reflecting continued strain on household spending.
At the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar point, several incidents of repetition occurred, creating a chaotic situation.
Humayun Kabir, proprietor of Alif Traders, the dealer in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, told 抖阴精品 that they didn鈥檛 have a system of marker pens or tokens.
鈥楽ome women came, took products and then removed their burqas and came again, and so did some men, who changed their dresses. It was tough to tackle this. We would also start the marker pen system from the next day,鈥� he added.
Md Shakil, the owner of Ms Alamin Traders, who sold essentials at Gabtali, said that they would distribute the essentials until they ran out.
鈥楿sually, we are assigned to sell products to 500 people; however, we would sell till the products remain. We were using a marker pen system to smooth management,鈥� he added.
An official of the TCB said that they didn鈥檛 receive any complaints regarding the truck sales and the dealers managed everything well.
