PHULBARI , KURIGRAM, May 6: Around 2,500 smart card-holding beneficiaries in Phulbari Upazila of Kurigram have returned home empty-handed after failing to collect subsidised goods from the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), triggering widespread frustration among low-income families.
Despite waiting for three consecutive days under scorching heat and humid conditions, newly enlisted beneficiaries from six unions could not receive their allotted products.
According to local sources, TCB issued 2,517 new smart cards across six unions in April, with corresponding allocations reportedly made to designated dealers. Distribution dates were announced through public miking, prompting beneficiaries to gather at dealer points as instructed.
However, even after submitting their cards, beneficiaries were denied products. Dealers claimed that the newly issued cards had not yet been activated on the TCB's online system, making it impossible to process sales.
On Tuesday afternoon, several beneficiaries-including Mojibur Rahman, Minni Khatun, Madhab Chandra, and Pulin Chandra Roy-who gathered at the Naodanga Union Parishad distribution point said they had received their smart cards nearly two months ago but had been unable to collect goods despite repeated attempts over the past three days.
"We are being told that our cards are not active online. If that is the case, why were we called here and made to suffer in this extreme heat?" one beneficiary said, expressing anger and frustration.
Harunur Rashid, proprietor of Maliha Traders, a dealer at the Naodanga Union point, said the system displays a message stating "no entitlement for the beneficiary" when attempting to verify newly issued cards. "As a result, distribution has remained suspended-not only in Naodanga but across the entire upazila," he added.
Contacted for comment, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Dilara Akter said the issue does not stem from the upazila or district administration. "The complication has arisen because the Rangpur regional office of TCB has yet to activate the new cards," she said.
The authorities have already been informed, and the problem is expected to be resolved soon. "We hope the new beneficiaries will be able to receive products regularly from next month," she added.
