To get the special cards to buy daily essential commodities at lower prices from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), selected lower-income families in some areas are being compelled to pay taka to local union parishad (UP) chairmen and councillors. However, special card or family cards must be issued at free of cost as per government directive. So, there is no scope to extract money for issuing the special cards to the selected lower-income families.
The authorities warned that no irregularities and nepotism would be tolerated in this regard.
The government through TCB has started the country-wide selling programme including all metropolitan cities, districts, upazilas and unions ahead of the upcoming holy Ramadan aiming to distribute commodities at subsidised rate among one crore lower-income families. People are now getting certain amount of 2-kg sugar at the rate of Taka 55 per kg, lentils at Taka 65, soyabean oil at Taka 110, per liter and onion at Taka 30 per kg.
The government should take stern action against those union parishad
chairmen and councilors who are involved in extracting money from
lower-income families immediately
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A large number of the residents of Kolkond union under Gangachara Upazila in Rangpur district said that 2639 families were selected to get family cards or special cards so that the beneficiaries will be eligible to buy the commodities from the TCB before Ramadan. But following the directive of the union parishad chairman Abdur Rouf, the councillors are issuing the special cards to each family in exchange of taka 250. In this regard, the aggrieved people in a written statement requested the upazila nirbahi officer and deputy commissioner to take necessary steps against the union parishad chairman and councillors.
Apart from Rangpur, Mosammat Mira Begum, a female councillor of ward no (10, 11 and 12) of Sirajganj municipality, is also extracting taka 250 from the people for issuing them cards. So, the special card distribution programme for the lower-income families in many remote areas of the country is in disarray as the card distribution process is riddled with massive irregularities.
Besides, allegations have also been rife in the past that many solvent people, including government employees and local public representatives, across the country have also been selected for getting the family card. It has been noticed earlier that a large number of poor families did not receive any cards while multiple members from some of the families of local public representatives have received the cards.
The sale programme outside the capital is being operated under the supervision of the concerned upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) and deputy commissioners (DCs) as well. Therefore, UNOs and DCs must ensure the distribution of the commodities only for the enlisted people at the grassroots level across the country properly. The government should take stern action against the union parishad chairmen and councillors involved in extracting money from lower-income families immediately.
