Unhygienic Conditions
Over dozen food shops fined
Over a dozen city restaurants, shops and bakeries were fined over Tk 5 lakh by several mobile courts comprised of different government agencies yesterday for keeping food in unhygienic conditions and selling products past their expiry dates.
During this time, the courts sentenced one person to one year and another person to three months in prison.
Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Dhaka District Administration jointly led six mobile courts and fined 11 restaurants and a bakery Tk 2.7 lakh.
Executive Magistrates of BSTI and the district administration led the drives with the help of law enforcers under Pure Food Ordinance-1959 and Pure Food Act (amended)-2005.
The defaulting shops are Mitali Hotel and Restaurant, Al-Amin Kacchi Biryani, Kanchi Restaurant, Shahi Morog Polao and Sohag Hotel and Restaurant in Chankharpool area; Rabbani Hotel and Restaurant and Purnima Hotel in Mirpur; Kutum Hotel and Restaurant in Shaymoli; and Hotel Boishakhi, Hotel New York, Dhanshiri Hotel and Restaurant and Bengal Bakery in Paltan and Jatiya Press Club area.
Another mobile court led by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), the government's market monitoring team formed with officials from the commerce ministry and BSTI representatives conducted drives in Khilgaon, Sutrapur and Keraniganj areas.
They sealed a vermicelli factory and fined different restaurants and shops Tk 2.28 lakh for selling substandard products, tampering with the scales and not mentioning the price in the packaging of products, says a press release.
Another mobile court led by Rab fined a warehouse owner in South Badda Tk 50,000 for storing goods past their expiry dates.
In a seperate drive, a mobile court led by the administration fined a business institution at Kamalapur area Tk 5,000 for having illegal electricity connections and disconnected four connections for defaulting in paying the bills.
Executive Magistrate Saidur Rahman launched the drive under The Electricity Act-1910.
Similar drives were conducted in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Brahmanbaria, Moulvibazar, Mymensingh and Madaripur, said a press release from Rab.
Our Chittagong correspondent reports: One super store, seven grocers, one bakery and four others including a butcher's were fined Tk 1.84 lakh for similar offences by two seperate mobile courts comprised of BSTI, Rab, Consumers Association of Bangladesh and police officials.
Executive Magistrate Juthika Sarker of Chittagong District Administration said the mobile courts conducted drives in four different places in Chittagong city.
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