Dist admin's drive sparks protest in port city

A mobile court of Chittagong District Administration fined two foodstuff wholesalers and a retailer for selling products at hiked up prices prompting some of the traders to keep their shops closed and block a road for a while protesting the drives in the city yesterday.

Mohammad Abdus Salam and Jane Alam, owners of Mir Ahmed Sawdagar Traders, were fined Tk 20 lakh for selling sugar to other wholesalers at a higher price, said Executive Magistrate Tahmilur Rahman, who led the drive.

During the drive at their Khatunganj office, the court found that they were selling per kilogramme of sugar at Tk 58.02 whereas they bought it at about Tk 46.08 from S Alam Group, he said.

They were making a profit of Tk 12 against per kg, he said.

Abdus Salam, however, claimed their profit was about Tk 2 to Tk 3 against per kg of the item. A misunderstanding arose over the prices, he said.

The court also detained Alam and two of their staff, said the executive magistrate.

But they were released after the owners gave an undertaking that they would make a profit of Tk 1 or Tk 2 against per kg of sugar, he added.

The traders demonstrated in protest against the detention.

Two other staff for selling sugar at hiked up price. They also closed their shops for a while protesting the drive. Photo: Star

The court also fined Masud Brothers Tk 50,000 on the charge of retailing gram at higher prices compared to the buying prices, said the magistrate.

Representatives from the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and members of Rapid Action Battalion assisted the drives.

Meanwhile, several other mobile courts of the administration fined different traders and business organisations Tk 1.29 lakh over, among others, selling products at hiked prices at Karnaphuli Complex Kitchen Market, Pahartoli Bazrar and Steel Mill Bazar.

BSS reports, the Department of National Consumer Rights Protection yesterday fined four consumer shops at Upashahar New Market, Uttara Clinic Crossing and Luxmipur Crossing in Rajshahi city Tk 10,000 on the charges of selling unhygienic and substandard food items, said Apurba Kumar Adhikary, assistant director of DNCRP.