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Open-Market SaleOf OniOnS

A first-time experience for many Ctg residents

11 ARUN BIKASH DEY 11
It is not that open-market sales (OMS) of essentials at lower than market prices are unforeseen in the port city. Trucks of Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) often sell rice, lentils and other daily groceries at various points of the city. However, there has been a marked difference in their latest stint of sales than previous times.
Sanjida Akter, a master's student of Government Hazi Muhammad Mohsin College, is not used to shopping for groceries. Her father, a schoolteacher, usually buys daily essentials from kitchen markets, while her mother sometimes takes it upon her to do so. Sanijda never thought she would stand in queue on a street to buy essentials sold out of a truck, but then again, not many limited-income families like hers had thought they would have to bear the brunt of astronomical
prices of onions.
Sanjida was seen standing in a queue to buy onion from the truck of TCB in front of Parade Corner on Chattogram College Road yesterday.
"I came to my college to attend classes and was returning home when I saw the truck of TCB selling onions atTk 45 per kg," said Sanjida, adding, "I instantly decided to stand in the queue."
"My family needs 3.5 to 4kg onion per month, but when the price crossed Tk 200, my father could not afford it, and my mother has to face challenges to cook food everyday managing the deficit," she said. "I never thought of buying daily essentials standing in a queue on the road, but I had to do it today."
Like Sanjida, a group of students from Chattogram College
and Hazi Muhammad Mohsin College were seen in the queue to buy onion at the lucrative price.
Tripti Barua, a fourth-year honour's student of Chattogram College, said seeing her friends in the queue, she also stood in line to buy onions.
"At first, it felt awkward to stand in a queue, but when I saw many of my friends standing in line, I thought to myself I had no reason to be shy," she said.
Salesman Selim said every customer was being given one kg onion atTk 45. This correspondent visited different kitchen markets in the port city yesterday, and found a kg of onion was being sold for Tk 180 to Tk 200.
Another long queue was seen in Jamal Khan intersection in front of a TCB truck from which emerged
A first-time
FROM PAGE 5
Milan Debnath, a private service holder, with a kilo of onions and a big smile on his face. "I wanted to buy two kgs, but they gave me only one. But I am still happy, as I bought one kilo of onion from a grocery shop near my house for Tk 180 on Friday," said Milan.
Milan said he had to wait for half an hour in the queue before he could reach the salesperson. "This is for the first time that I stood in the queue on the road to buy daily essentials at a cheaper rate," he said.
Milan said at first, he was a little hesitant, but seeing a number of his neighbours in the queue made it easier. This correspondent found the onions sold by TCB trucks to be larger than usual.
Jamal Uddin Ahmed, regional head of TCB in Chattogram, said a total of 10 trucks were selling onion in 10 points of the city yesterday, with each truck selling one tonne a day. Asked about the size of onions, he said those were imported from Turkey.
"Our open market selling operations will continue until further notice," he said.