The syndicates that are playing a role in increasing the price of goods in the country, their owners will be arrested under the special power law.
Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Labor and Employment, said these things in response to questions at the exchange meeting organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) at the media center at the Secretariat on Tuesday (October 15).
In response to the question that people want to get daily commodities at a cheap price, what are your steps in this case, he said, we are facing many challenges one after another. There are many factors involved in commodity prices. Many crops have been destroyed by floods, due to which the price of vegetables is high. An imbalance has developed between supply and demand. But syndicates have implications for other products. We are working to break the syndicate.
Stating that consumer rights have been weakened, the advisor further said that the Consumer Rights Protection Act has been weakened. Due to previous government’s nexus with corporates, it has been weakened so much that a report comes from the Ministry of Commerce that there is a raid, there is a fine of Rs 3,000, Rs 5,000. It is not effective.
“As before they had the power to give a jail in the law. Things have been messed up in such a way that it will take time to amend the law and strengthen it. But before that we think we have to go hardline. Otherwise, commodity prices cannot be controlled. In that case, who are the persons (owners) under the Special Powers Act, the various syndicates, if necessary, the corporate companies who are doing this intentionally, we have some reports, we will arrest them under the Special Powers Act,’ he added.
When asked about who is controlling the extortion syndicate now, he said that the previous syndicate was controlled by the Awami League government. But the businessmen were sitting inside the syndicate. They still remain. To protect their business interests, the syndicate is sustained by liaising with some politicians. In that case we are identifying. Trying to adjust that.
He said that many of those involved in extortion in the caravan market have been arrested. But the problem is that when one extortionist is arrested, another replaces him. We are trying to identify, working. In this case, the political parties should also be assisted.
The advisor said, if the political parties go into the previous evil practice, then in the end the change for which so many people have given their lives will not be possible. Each party must assist. However, one of the opposition political parties is being observed, they are taking action against the leaders and activists in case of any injustice or corruption. But if they can implement it at a more marginal level, it will be possible to control corruption at the local level.
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