Price Hike of Sugar, Edible Oil
Commerce ministry blamed
'Insincerity' of the commerce ministry is responsible for the recent price hike of essentials, specially sugar and edible oil, a parliamentary committee said yesterday.
The parliamentary standing committee on commerce ministry also blamed the ministry for its failure to monitor market and to keep watch on 'unscrupulous businessmen' who according to the committee were behind the price hike of daily commodities.
The house watchdog came up with the observation at its meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
The parliamentary body also decided to visit city's major wholesale kitchen markets for the second time to observe market situation.
Earlier on June 15, the committee expressed “satisfaction” over the price of essentials after visiting three kitchen markets in the city while the customers said the shopkeepers misled the committee by lying about the price.
On the basis of its firsthand experience of visiting three major kitchen markets, the committee on June 26, came up with only a single recommendation of hanging price list on the board at every kitchen markets in the city to check the price hike of essentials during Ramadan.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, the committee chairman ABM Abul Qasem said there are many problems in the commerce ministry. It's not right that all officials of the ministry are honest and sincere to perform their jobs.
“Lack of sincerity of the ministry to monitor market is responsible for price hike of essentials,” Quasem said.
“Due to insincerity to perform its jobs, the unscrupulous businessmen took the chance to increase price of different essentials in the recent times,” he added.
Saying that a section of unscrupulous businessmen are behind manipulating prices of commodities in the recent days, Quasem told reporters that the government is keeping watch on 10 businessmen who according to the committee are behind the price hike of essentials.
When asked about names of those businessmen, he refused to disclose their names saying 'revealing their names in public might create instability in the market.'
The ministry officials told the committee that Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has already taken steps to release 2,000kg sugar, 1200 liters edible oil and 500kg lentil in markets through its dealers to check price hike of those goods.
Commerce Minister Faruk Khan told the committee that TCB will release some more food items in the markets on August 10 in a bid to control price of those daily essentials.
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