CAB protests on Consumer Rights Day: Abnormal price hikes have made life difficult for the public

❐ Staff Reporter

The proliferation of adulterated and low-quality products in the market and the abnormal increase in the prices of essential commodities have made life difficult for the common man. In many cases, some unscrupulous traders are creating artificial crises through hoarding and manipulation, causing suffering to consumers.

Speakers made this statement at a rally and protest meeting organized by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day in front of the National Press Club in the capital on Sunday.

This year, the theme of World Consumer Rights Day is ‘Ensure safe products, build consumer confidence’. At the event, CAB raised several demands, including strict action against adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe products; legal action against unreasonable price hikes and hoarding.

The speakers said that some unscrupulous businessmen are controlling the market through syndicates using the government party’s signboards. If the government stops them from doing so, the syndicates will largely collapse.

Speaking at the event, CAB President AHM Shafiquzzaman said, “Although the day is celebrated worldwide, it is unfortunate that it is not celebrated nationally in Bangladesh.”

He alleged that the prices of daily necessities are increasing unreasonably due to syndicates in the market. Calling on the government, he said that the syndicate must be broken quickly and the market restored to normalcy.

CAB General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan said that their organization has been agitating for the establishment of consumer rights for a long time. He urged the government to take effective initiatives to regulate the market of daily necessities.

Brigadier General Shams A Khan (retd), president of the Dhaka district of CAB, said that the government must take effective measures to break the syndicate to keep the daily commodities market stable.

CAB Treasurer Dr. Md. Munjur-e-Khoda Tarafdar said that the government must take quick and effective steps to protect consumer rights and establish a fair market system.

CAB Organizing Secretary Professor Dr. Syed Mizanur Rahman Raju said, “It is unfortunate that World Consumer Rights Day is not being officially observed in the country. If consumer rights are not recognized nationally, it will become difficult to implement them.”

The demands made by the CAB

In the program, CAB raised some demands to protect the interests of consumers. The demands include:

• Taking strict action against adulterated, counterfeit and unsafe products
• Taking legal action against unreasonable price increases and hoarding
• Clearly stating the exact price, production and expiry date of the product
• Stopping false advertising and misleading information
• Strengthen market surveillance
• Modernize and implement the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009
• Ensuring the safety of products sold online and in e-commerce