Though Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued a note of warning against the hoarders and market manipulators of essential commodities, prices of essentials keep soaring with no end in sight. A story headlined ‘Prices go into a tailspin’ was published in this newspaper on Saturday, detailing the sudden price-hike of essentials commodities.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader expressed his concern about the price hike of essential commodities, saying there is volatility in commodity prices worldwide. The government has been working to check the price hike of goods.
Besides, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder cautioned the unholy syndicate, some corporate houses, millers, wholesalers and retailers involved in hoarding rice, other food grains and essential commodities ahead of the holy month Ramadan. They have also been warned to get prepared to face the music unless they mend themselves.
But the fact remains that an organised syndicate comprising traders, wholesalers and millers is still very active to hike the prices of daily essentials under the very nose of the authorities concerned. Though an intelligence agency earlier identifying the members of this unholy nexus submitted a list to authorities concerned, but the crocked ones remain still untouched.
And no legal action has been taken yet against the identified dishonest traders, wholesalers and millers. As a result, they have become desperate to make big profit in shady and unethical way by hiking the prices of essentials.
The prices of essential commodities are going up due to the excessive greed of traders. We think it is not possible to arrest the prices of daily essentials by only making statements or warning instead of getting tough on the covetous traders immediately.
No legal action has
been taken yet against the
identified dishonest traders
The organised unholy syndicate’s members, who are benefiting from the price hike, are also making the government controversial. If the government does not get severely tough on the organised thugs and the syndicate is not busted up, the prices will not come down.
Besides, Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) must be strengthened and the rampant extortion of the influential quarter in the transport sector will have to be stopped to bring the abnormal price hike down. The middle- and lower-income people are facing serious financial hardship as running families have now become unbearable for them.
There is no alternative to getting tough on syndicates which are responsible for making the kitchen market volatile deliberately.
Besides, authorities concerned must conduct mobile courts, monitor price lists and penalise those traders for selling essential commodities at higher prices than mentioned in price lists right now.
It seems that no one will understand the general people’s agonies. Prices are skyrocketing although their income and salary do not increase every year.
We have noticed that low-income people, especially day-labourers, rickshaw-pullers, drivers or housemaids used to come to buy daily essentials at low prices earlier at TCB OMS outlets but now the middle-class people are also crowding to buy products standing in queues.
The holy month of Ramadan, the lunar month of self-purification through fasting and abstinence is likely to begin on March 11. The government should ask the deputy commissioners (DCs) to exercise perpetual vigilance so that no one can manipulate the prices of essentials especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
Every year the government takes various steps to keep prices of the essentials within a tolerable level ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The ministries concerned also always assure people, saying there would be no shortage of essential commodities in the country and no shortfall in supply also during the Ramadan.
But, in fact, a dishonest clique becomes desperate to pocket hefty profits holding the people hostage by illegal hoarding and storage and forming syndicate ahead of the holy month every year. So, people feel the pinch as the prices of essentials like edible oil, chickpea, dried pea, date and sugar start to despite higher imports and government measures.