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The sugar -- sold in open market through the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) -- is found to be traded in different shops in the city at higher prices.
Some customers complained that a section of slum dwellers, especially women, take money from the nearby shop-owners and stand at the queues to buy the sugar from the TCB mobile vans.
In some cases, more than one member of a family buy the sugar in larger amount and later hand the same over to the retailers for selling at higher prices, customers complained.
In doing so, they either purchase the TCB sugar and then sell it off to the retailers, or receive the money in advance from the retail traders to purchase the same at subsidised prices.
Moreover, customers at the city's Gendaria area Tuesday last complained that the sugar-laden trucks of the TCB did not stand at any point for a moment but drove the whole area without selling the item to the public.
When asked, the Chairman of the TCB Shahidul Haque said these kinds of petty incidents may take place in some cases, but it is difficult to identify the members of one family who are buying the item and supplying to the retailers.
"We have also received such complaints from the customers, but the job of detecting the violators is almost impossible for the sales-persons," Shahidul Haque said.
The TCB sales-persons sold sugar to the public at Tk 42 per kg under its Open Market Sales (OMS), but the retailers have been selling the item at the shops at Tk 65 per kg and making a brisk business in the absence of proper monitoring, customers complained.
The TCB chairman said since February 13 to April 4, the organisation sold 272 tonnes of sugar and 288 tonnes of lentil in four divisional cities.
From Tuesday last, the government decided to sell sugar through the ward commissioners in the capital city.
The TCB sources said recently, they withdrew 10,000 tonnes of sugar from the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) for mass marketing.
The TCB may get some 10,000 tonnes more sugar to distribute among the team leaders of the sales committee, sources said.
The team leaders comprise ward commissioners, TCB officials, Jiban Bima Corporation and Bangladesh Tariff Commission (BTC) officials, sources said.
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