Staff Correspondent, Khulna

Khulna regional office of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has made a list of 143 dealers to cancel their licences as they did not procure commodities for sale in open market.

The regional office had appointed 343 dealers in ten districts of Khulna division and Faridpur, Rajbari and Gopalganj districts in July.

Of the listed dealers, 125 did not lift their quotas in the first installment on August 8 while the rest in the second installment on August 24 for selling soyabean oil, sugar and gram in open market.

Rabiul Morshed, regional officer of Khulna TCB, told this correspondent yesterday that he had made a list of 143 dealers for cancelling their licences as they did not pro-

cure any of the three items for sale in open market.

Forty-eight out of the 143 dealers are from Khulna metropolitan city who have also been accused of this offence.

Security money of the listed dealers will also be forfeited as per rule and TCB will blacklist them in future, Rabiul said, adding that the list recommending cancellation of their licences would be sent to the head office in Dhaka in the third week of this month.

He said four dealers appointed by TCB has already withdrawn their security money fearing cancellation of their licences for not procuring any of the three commodities on August 8 and 24.

They are proprietors of Messrs Pager Trading Co of

BK main road, Messrs AB Bidders of Khanjahan Ali Road under Khulna Sadar Police Station, Messrs Sumon Trading of Sonadanga main road under Sonadanga Police Station and Messrs Hirok Enterprise of Mujgunni under Khalishpur Police Station of Khulna city.

Rabiul said this time the dealers did not get any scope to sell their commodities in black market because of strong monitoring system.

Besides, buyers have no interest to buy sugar, Soyabean and gram standing in queue as prices do not vary so much at retail shops.

The TCB regional officer said most of the dealers who did not procure their commodities for sale in open market belong to the ruling party. But he refused to disclose their names.