Our Correspondent :
Chattogram district administration has conducted a mobile court drive at the port city’s wholesale Khatunganj market to stop onion price hike and keep the essential commodity prices stable in the market.
The drive was conducted from Sunday morning to the afternoon at Khatunganj Wholesale Market. The mobile court led by district administration’s executive magistrates Shirin Akter and Omar Faruque.
During the drive, 10 wholesalers were fined Tk 77,000 as they were selling onion at excessive prices without maintaining any invoices.
Messers Barkat Bhandar, Messers Gopal Banijya Bhandar, Messers Haji Mohiuddin Sawdagar, Messers Sekandar and Sons, Mohammadia Banijyalaya and Mohammad Jalal Uddin were fined Tk 10,000 each, while Grameen Banijyalaya, Arafat Traders and Messers Bagadadia Corporation were fined Tk 5,000 each and Shahadat Traders Tk 2,000.
Executive magistrate Omar Faruque said some dishonest wholesalers have been selling onion at Tk 45-50 raising the prices of onion by Tk 20 per kg over the last several days. The wholesalers could not show any documents when the mobile court conducted raids. Rather, they claimed that they did their business on commission at the directives of importers.
Besides, onion was selling at different prices at different wholesale shops. Because of it, they were fined.
He further said drives would continue to contain the prices of onion. Strict action would be taken against those wholesalers who would try to raise onion prices in future, he said.
