Rahima sells discarded vegetables to buy TCB goods
Rahima Khatun, in her sixties, wakes up with the call of azaan (early-morning call to prayer) call every morning. Since then, she starts her day in search of livelihood.
From her home at the Ashkona Hajj Camp area of capital’s Dakkhinkhan, she walks about half a kilomtre to reach the airport bus stand. Taking a bus from there, she comes to Karwan Bazar. Here in the market she collects and fill her sack with discarded vegetables thrown away by the wholesalers.
Once her bag is filled entirely, she returns by bus to her home in the mess at Dakkhinkhan. Next, she sorts the vegetables, cuts away the damaged parts and places the good parts inside the sack. Then she leaves again for the second time, sack on her shoulder. She then goes around the slum nearby and sells those salvaged vegetables. She survives on whatever she can manage from selling that.
However, she can't gather soybean oil, sugar or lentils in the same way as discarded vegetables. So, Rahima Khatun too stands in a queue behind the trucks that carry TCB (Trading Corporation of Bangladesh) goods.
Rahima Khatun went to buy TCB goods at fair prices from a truck in front of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) office adjacent to the Ashkona Hajj Camp in Dakkhinkhan at around 1.30 pm on Saturday. After waiting in line for an hour she finally realised, if she kept on standing in the queue it won’t do her any good. Later, she moved to the side of the truck and asked the salesmen for oil and lentils. The sales people initially thought that she had gone there to collect goods for free and so drove her away.
Upset, Rahima informed a RAB member, who was standing nearby about the matter. Later, Rahima was finally able to buy goods with the help of that RAB member (requested to keep his name and designation hidden).
While returning home with TCB goods Rahima Khatun told Prothom Alo, she earns about Tk 300 by selling the good parts of discarded vegetables. Regarding her own condition she said, “Only God knows how I have been living. On days when my health permits I go to Karwan Bazar, collect half-rotten vegetables and sell them. But, whenever I fall sick, I am unable to move. Then I have to rely on begging.”
Rahima Khatun’s husband Salam Mia has died. Her son Akbar Mia is married and busy with his own family. Her daughter Sharifa Akhter is disabled and lives with her relatives at her village home at Akhaura in Brahmanbaria. Rahima lives with other women at a mess near Ashkona Hajj Camp. She pays Tk 1,000 rent at the mess every month.
Rahima Khatun visits her daughter in village after 10-15 days. She said that half the goods she purchased are for her daughter and the other half is for herself, hardly enough for Ramadan.
Rahima purchased 2 kg each of lentils, sugar, date sand soybean oil and 3 kg of chickpeas for Tk 770 from a TCB truck on Saturday and she still had Tk 430 left.
TCB distributor Messer’s Khan General Store started selling goods in Ashkona Hajj Camp area on Saturday. The truck carrying goods arrived there around 2:00pm and sales started around 2:30pm. At the beginning of the sales, there were two separate lines with more than 200 people including 133 women waiting to buy essentials. The line got longer as time passed.
Sales representative of the distributor Md Humayun told Prothom Alo around 8:00pm on Saturday, their sales ended around 7:30pm with 250 people purchasing the goods and about 60 others, mostly women, returning empty handed.
Humayun claimed several local women altogether purchased TCB products several times. If not, everyone would have managed to get the commodities.
Office-goers too in the TCB line
Crowds gathered near the TCB truck Wapda Gate area of Jatrabari, some 22 km away from Ashkona Haj Camp. Amir Hossain, who retired from Bangladesh Power Development Board last year, was also in the men’s line. He stood in the TCB line for the first time on Saturday.
Retired government employee Amir Hossain had the opportunity to buy the goods after waiting for an hour. He told Prothom Alo it has been difficult to run the family with his pension so he was compelled to purchase the TCB goods.
Messer’s Ridoy General Store was the TCB distributor in Jatrabari’s Wapda Gate area on Saturday. A package of five products was sold for Tk 900. A package includes 2 liters of soybean oil (Tk 220), 4 kg of chickpeas (Tk 200), 3 kg of date (Tk 240), 2 kg of sugar (Tk 110) and 2 kg of lentils (Tk 130). There was less crowds at the beginning but it increased later. Sales started at 12:00pm and closed at 4:00pm. Everyone joining the line received the products.
TCB distributor Shamim Ahmed Prothom Alo said many services holders are now queuing up to purchase the TCB products.