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Editorial

We welcome HC move on adulteration and prices

Government must go into the roots of the problems
17 August 2010, 18:00 PM
EDITORIAL
The High Court directive to the police to file criminal cases under the Special Powers Act of 1974 against those behind an adulteration of foodstuff and a spiralling of prices of essential commodities reflects the concerns of broad swathes of society about prevailing market conditions. It has been observed for a very long time and especially since the beginning of Ramadan this year that traders have with impunity continued to raise the prices of goods, to the great discomfiture of citizens. At the same time, the fact that every so often reports surface about the adulteration of food items throws up the image of a situation which, unless it is handled firmly, will lead to a culture of impunity on the part of dishonest traders for whom nothing other than profiteering matters. We welcome the directive of the High Court and we do expect some concrete action to follow from such a directive. That the HC has decreed that mobile courts function for another two months to check unscrupulous activities in the market is another move that should lead to positive results. Having said that, we feel that the time has come for the authorities to take firm action to ensure that order and discipline are maintained in the market. We have observed with deep regret that all exhortations on the part of the government relating to foodstuff adulteration and food prices have fallen on deaf ears. Not even ministers, through their visits to the markets, have been able to influence trading circles into falling in line with the government's -- and citizens' -- expectations. That ought not to have been the case. We believe that the High Court directive comes as a huge opportunity for the government to take stock of the situation. It need hardly be said that police measures against dishonest traders, while they may be feasible in the short term, are hardly the practice to follow in the longer term. What now must be done is for a systematic, concerted strengthening of those institutions whose responsibility is to keep watch on the market and ensure that citizens are not thrown into panic by hazards like adulteration and unbridled prices. The Bangladesh Standards Testing Institution (BSTI), for all its seriousness of purpose, has woefully lacked the manpower and the back-up mechanism to stamp its authority on the market. It is here that the government must focus, seriously and purposefully, if morality is to be a part of market operations. A toothless BSTI serves no one's purpose and only emboldens dishonest elements in their criminality. There is then the Dhaka City Corporation which must be so energised and so armed with authority that it can keep tabs on market conditions. Along with the DCC, such ministries as commerce and industry including chamber and industry bodies must play a proactive role in upholding citizens' interests in the market. The point here is that the authorities must go into the roots of the problems. Obviously, a racket is involved in foodstuff adulteration. Similarly, an organised cabal is clearly behind the skyrocketing prices in the market. The point is simple: go after those who sell adulterated and pricey foodstuff to citizens in the markets, but also make sure that the elements pulling the streams from behind are exposed and penalised -- all in the larger public interest.

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