Consumer harassment, cheating continues CRP Act unlikely to be effective before Ramadan

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The Consumer Rights Protection (CRP) Act-2009, passed by the parliament recently, is unlikely to become effective before the month of Ramadan as a National Consumer Rights Council, which will monitor the entire process, is yet to be formed, reports UNB.
Meanwhile consumer harassment and cheating continues in various ways like less weight, abnormally high price and poor quality.
The ninth parliament on April 1 passed the Consumer Rights Protection Bill-2009 aimed at protecting the consumers by way of preventing cheating in weight, price and quality of what they buy.
Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan said recently that the government would soon form National Consumer Rights Council charged with the implementation of the provisions of the CRP Act. "We hope it'll be formed within seven days," he said Saturday at a function at Narayanganj.
General Secretary of Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Quazi Faruque told the news agency that the guidelines are being prepared for the proposed National Consumer Rights Council to strictly enforce the consumer rights law.
He said consumer rights committees would also be formed at district level headed by the Deputy Commissioners (DCs).
The consumer rights protection law would be effective only after the formation of National Consumer Rights Council and the district level committees, the CAB general secretary said.
The new law prohibits sale of adulterated and fake products, and date-expired items as well as cheating in weighing goods and also fraudulence while advertising products. These are all identified as serious crimes.
Punishment under the new law ranges from one year to three years' imprisonment and fine of Tk 50,000 to Tk 200,000 for any violation of the law.
A consumer can file complaint through e-mail, fax or other sources to the director general concerned regarding such violations.
Earlier, while piloting the Consumer Rights Protection Bill-2009 in parliament on April 1, the Commerce Minister said it would take at best three months to complete the entire process to make the law effective.
A directorate would also be created in this regard headed by a Director General, he later told the reporters.
The government has a plan to launch a massive campaign across the country to make people aware about the provisions of the CRP Act.
The previous caretaker government promulgated "The Consumer Rights Protection Ordinance" which was later enacted into a law.