At least 8,500 low-income families have been suffering as the sale of essentials at subsidised prices under the OMS program has been halted in Gopalganj since September.
Local sources said seven tons of rice and seven tons of flour were sold every day under the OMS program in Gopalganj town.
From here, 1,400 families could buy 5 kg of rice and 5 kg of flour every day.
A buyer could buy per kg rice at Tk30 and per kg flour at Tk24 six times in a month. Accordingly, at least 8,400 families in the town would have the opportunity to buy rice and flour at the government-set minimum price per month.
Due to complications in appointing dealers for the rice and flour sales program in the open market, the program was stopped from September this year. As a result, low-income families are not able to buy rice and flour at the prices set by the government. They have to buy rice at Tk55 per kg and flour at Tk50 per kg from the market. This has put the families in trouble.
According to Gopalganj Sadar Upazila Food Controller Ismail Hossain, there were 15 OMS dealers in Gopalganj Municipality. Their licences were valid till June 30. They sold rice and flour until June.
Advertisements were published in newspapers to recruit new dealers. 167 dealership applications were sold. Of these, 164 have submitted dealership applications. But it has not been possible to recruit new dealers yet.
Therefore, according to the government notification, if dealers are not recruited, the Food Department will be able to sell rice and flour in the open market for 2 months.
"According to the notification, we sold rice and flour in July and August. We do not have permission to sell rice and flour for more than 2 months. Therefore, we have stopped selling rice and flour since September," he also said.
"We sent a letter to the Dhaka divisional food controller on September 4 to get permission to sell rice and flour in Gopalganj town. If we get permission, we will be able to start it again under our supervision," he added.
Arafat Hossain, a day labourer of Borobazar, said: "My income is low. I have to support a family of four. I used to buy flour at a price of Tk30 per kg and rice at Tk24 from OMS. I used to buy rice and flour 6 times a month to support my family. Now I have to buy rice at a price of Tk55 and flour at a price of Tk50 from the market. This has almost doubled the cost of rice and flour in my family. I am unable to support my family. Therefore, I am demanding the immediate introduction of OMS."
Faisal Mia, a rickshaw puller, said: "I used to earn Tk 1,000 to 1,500 per day. After the attacks and clashes during the NCP march on July 16, the population of the town has decreased. So, my income has come down by half. I used to buy rice and flour from OMS to meet the needs of rice and bread for five people in my family. In the meantime, OMS has been closed. Expenses have increased. I am struggling to run my family."