Law-enforcers start vigilance on price hike in city markets today

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FE Report
Members of the law enforcing and intelligence agencies will start taking actions against violators and price manipulators in the city markets from today (Saturday) to ensure that consumers are not over-charged for the goods they purchase.
A good number of personnel drawn from the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and intelligence wings will visit different kitchen markets dressed in plain clothes and keep vigilance, sources said.
Earlier, the government announced that the members of the law enforcing agencies will be on guard in the markets to keep prices of essential commodities at tolerable level during the Holy month of Ramadan.
Sources in the BDR said they will check vouchers from both the buyers and sellers to take actions against the price manipulators.
Sources said Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) under the Agriculture Ministry will also join with the members of the law enforcing agencies to cooperate in checking price manipulation.
On the first day of the fasting the members of the law enforcing agencies have collected information from different wholesale and retail markets to carry out their vigilantes during the whole month of Ramadan.
Sources in the law enforcing agencies said they will penalise the traders who will manipulate the prices of essential commodities, in weight, price and in quality of the products.
Meanwhile, a survey of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) revealed that the average retail prices of essential commodities in Dhaka witnessed a rise from 10 per cent to around 54 per cent in July this year over its corresponding period in 2006.
The retail prices of soybean oil rose by 53.86 per cent in July this year over its corresponding period in 2006.
The average retail price of soybean oil was Tk 78.30 each litre in Dhaka's kitchen markets during the period while it was at Tk 50.89 in July 2006.
The average price of coarse varieties of rice rose by 20.74 per cent in July this year.
It was sold at Tk 22.65 each kg during the period while it was at Tk 18.76 each kg in July in 2006.
The prices of medium varieties of rice rose by 10.12 per cent during the period.
The average retail prices of such varieties of rice sold at Tk 27.96 at different kitchen markets in Dhaka in July this year, according to the BBS statistics.
A sharp rise in the prices of coarse flour (atta) marked during the July period. It rose by 31.53 per cent during the period. The average price of Atta was at Tk 27.49 each kg. It was at Tk 20.90 in July in 2006.
The prices of lentil rose by 12.63 per cent in July this year over its corresponding period in 2006. The average price was at Tk 71.08 each kg while it was at Tk 63.11 in July in 2006, BBS said.