Dhaka //

Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has urged the government to bring the market within the reach of common people. The cab leaders have demanded the government to dismantle the syndicates and reform markets and roads on priority basis.

This call was made from the human chain organized at Topkhana Road in front of the National Press Club at 11:00 today on Tuesday.

CAB organized a ‘human chain to protest against the abnormal increase in the prices of daily necessities due to the manipulation of dishonest and profiteering traders’. It was presided over by CAB central general secretary lawyer Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan. In addition to the CAB leaders, leaders of various political parties and social organizations also spoke in the human chain.

Ruhin Hossain, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), said, “Though the dictatorial government fell through the mass uprising, the market syndicators and extortionists did not fall. They remain. Due to this cycle, all the daily necessities have gone beyond the purchasing power of people. Strict action should be taken against them by breaking this unscrupulous cycle.’ He demanded the introduction of rationing system and fair price shops to control the prices of goods.

Mohiuddin Ahmed, convenor of Bangladesh Civil Society, said, “The government has commissioned various reforms. But now the biggest problem is the fire price of daily necessities. People are getting lost in the market. Not going to the market for high prices. Everything including rice, sugar, onion, oil, potatoes, vegetables has been under the control of the syndicate. On the other hand, traffic in the capital is not possible due to traffic congestion. A dire situation has arisen. Market and road reform is now more important than state reform. The interim government has to take practical initiatives to solve these two problems on priority basis.

Engineer Kamruzzaman, a central member of CAB, said, “The price of goods and the traffic congestion in the capital have now reached an unbearable level. Why is the price of eggs not decreasing even after importing with tax exemption on eggs? Behind this is the conspiracy of market syndicate. This problem cannot be solved by the assurances of the Daisara group and good words. Effective measures should be taken. People want to see syndicates being dismantled.’

Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan, Central General Secretary of CAB, said that the market syndicate must be disbanded and brought to justice. There is no alternative. However, he called for duty-free daily necessities for at least two months to make the market situation bearable.

Nine points of demand were raised in the human chain. Among the notable demands, special task force and consumer rights activities should be continued across the country to stabilize commodity prices. Artificial crisis creators, hoarders, black marketers should be brought under the law with zero tolerance. The wholesale and retail prices of essential commodities should be fixed and strictly implemented. Road extortion should be stopped. Arrangements should be made to open LCs for duty-free imports of essential products including onion, garlic, ginger, oil, sugar and ensure sale at fixed prices in the market after import.

Central members of CAB Abul Kalam Azad and Shaukat Ali Khan also spoke in the human chain. Directed by Humayun Kabir.