Speakers at a protest rally on Sunday expressed grave concern over the proliferation of adulterated products and the abnormal price hikes of essential commodities, stating that these factors have made life unbearable for the common people.
The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) organized the rally and a protest meeting in front of the National Press Club to mark World Consumer Rights Day.
Addressing the gathering, CAB President and former Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman lamented that while the day is observed globally, it is unfortunate that it is not being observed nationally by the government in Bangladesh.
He alleged that market syndicates are irrationally increasing the prices of daily necessities.
"The government must immediately break these syndicates to bring relief back to the market," he urged.
Echoing these sentiments, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Convener of the Bangladesh Sadharan Nagarik Samaj, claimed that some dishonest businessmen are controlling the market through syndicates by using political affiliations as a shield.
He noted that if the government political party curtails such opportunities, the syndicates would largely collapse.
Ruheen Hossain Prince, former General Secretary of CPB, emphasized the need to ensure safe and affordable production starting from the manufacturing stage.
He also called for strict surveillance against toxic and adulterated food and stressed the importance of guaranteed safe drinking water.
Other speakers, including CAB General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan and Organizing Secretary Prof. Dr. Syed Mizanur Rahman Raju, pointed out that a lack of business ethics during Ramadan and Eid often leads to market instability.
During the event, speakers raised several demands to protect consumer interests, including:
Strict action against adulterated, counterfeit, and unsafe products, legal measures against irrational price hikes and hoarding, clear labeling of accurate prices, production, and expiration dates, modernizing the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009,
To ensure the safety of products sold through online and e-commerce platforms.
World Consumer Rights Day commemorates the historic declaration by US President John F. Kennedy on consumer rights to the US Congress on March 15, 1962. The day has been celebrated globally since 1983, and CAB has been consistently observing it in Bangladesh to advocate for the fundamental rights of consumers.