DNCRP set to expand offices in 64 districts

Badrul Ahsan The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has taken a move to expand offices of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) in the country's 64 districts to strengthen activities for establishing consumers' rights, officials said. Besides, the ministry has also taken a set of pro-active steps to ensure the department's smooth operation and increase awareness among the consumers. The steps include procurement of new vehicles, increasing work-force, establishing testing laboratories, distributing leaflets, staging road-shows and stage-shows, and arranging seminar and symposiums on a regular basis. The MoC has already sent eight deputy secretaries to the DNCRP on deputation and has established its three offices in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna. It has also completed all formalities to establish offices in other divisional cities within the next three months. "We have completed all formalities for expanding our offices in all divisions," DNCRP director general Abul Hossain said. "The government has also planned to expand its offices in sixty four districts to ensure protection of consumer rights across the country. An assistant director would lead the activities of each office," he also said. "The department has started activities of appointing a group of assistant directors through the Public Service Commission (PSC) to establish its offices in sixty four districts," he added. According to the DNCRP information, procurement of nine pick-up vans is under process. The department has also decided to establish modern testing labs at its offices. The government formulated the National Consumer Rights Act 2009 and established the DNCRP in 2011. The department is now operating in Dhaka and two other divisional cities. The DNCRP has so far penalised some 2,339 shops and hotels for violating consumers' rights. It has also deposited over Tk 45 million to the public exchequer, realised as fines. The penalties were imposed on traders for not printing price on packet of products, selling goods at prices more than their fixed rates, adulteration of food items, producing goods without obtaining licences, misguiding consumers through fake advertisement and manipulating weight etc.