Chittagong: Mobile courts in separate operations today fined two companies for engineering an artificial shortage of soybean oil despite its availability in cartons.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the operation was led by Faiz Ullah, Deputy Director of the National Directorate of Consumer Rights, along with police and BSTI officials. The first raid took place at Khatunganj, a prominent wholesale market for consumer goods, where a commercial establishment was penalized for not supplying oil to shops despite having a large stock. The owner of Messrs Al Amin Store was fined TK 20 thousand after officials discovered a significant amount of oil in their possession, contradicting their claims of unavailability.
The crackdown continued with a visit to Satkania Store. Initially, the store claimed to have no oil, but investigations revealed that 1300 cartons, equivalent to about 24 thousand liters, had been supplied to them. The store’s owner acknowledged receiving 600 cartons but could account for the distribution of only 40, thereby contributing to the artificial shortage. Consequently, the mobile court imposed a fine of TK 50 thousand on Satkania Store for their role in the crisis.
Faiz Ullah stated that the fines were imposed to ensure fair distribution and curb any attempts to manipulate the market by withholding essential commodities.