THE High Court has directed the Ministry of Commerce, the Directorate of National Consumers Right Protection to submit a report to the court by April 20 confirming what steps they have taken against syndicates and hoarders of daily essential commodities. The HC Bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice SM Maniruzzaman on Tuesday gave the order after hearing a writ petition seeking directives to curb the soaring prices of daily essential items, including soybean oil.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of Bangladesh at a rally protesting price hike of essentials in the capital on Saturday alleged that “Govt rewarded oil syndicates instead of taking action’. Protesting the decision to hike edible oil price, leaders of left-leaning political parties further alleged that the government has rewarded syndicates behind the price hike. The CPB leaders demanded removal of the commerce minister and warned that they would enforce a hartal if the price of soybean oil is not decreased. They also alleged that the country and government are “in the hands of looters”. “Syndicate traders are running the country and the government is their protector”.
On the other hand, the politburo of Workers Party of Bangladesh, a member of the ruling party alliance, termed the recent record price hike “a naked manifestation of the government’s secret coordination” with the syndicates that control the so-called oil market. People were already suffering a lot due to the increasing prices of essentials, and the recent oil price hike has just rubbed salt into their wounds. The government on Monday increased edible oil prices by a record amount in Bangladesh’s history. It has fixed the price of a litre of bottled soybean oil at Tk 198, from Tk 160 per litre. Bangladesh Shop-owners Association also termed the ongoing edible oil crisis “artificial and rumour based”, saying it could have been avoided if the government had advance planning.”
In the context of the grave situation in the oil market, we deem it necessary that the relevant government functionaries will take immediate measures in order to control the oil market, through a well ordinate action plan followed by a package of meaningful action in line with the directives of the High Court in the best interest of the people.
