No businessman harassed in six months : BDR chief
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
FE Report
BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed Monday said businessmen were not harassed in the past six months in order to restore their confidence and bring prices of essentials.
"I hope business environment in the country will further improve as no businessman was sued in the past six months," BDR director general said while exchanging views with around 150 wholesale traders of various business forums at the Moulvibazar Business Association office in the city Monday.
Hasan Mahmud, director general of Rapid Action Battalion, Col Mujibul Haq, Dhaka zone operation officer of 'Dhal-Bhat' programme of BDR, Haji Nizamuddin, general secretary of Badamtali Rice Traders' Association, Shafiqul Islam, president of Chwakbazar Pulse Traders' Association, Abul Hashem, general secretary of Edible Oil Importers' Association, and Ali Asgar Kamal, president of Sugar Traders' Association, among others, attended the meeting with Md Abur Razzak, president of Dhaka Moulavibazar Business Association, in the chair.
Exchanging views, leaders of the wholesale traders called for formulating specific guidelines for sales and purchase, storage and marketing of each commodity so that they can run their businesses without any harassment.
The wholesale traders attributed the soaring prices of essentials to the price hike of goods in the international market, short supply of food and production shortfall in Bangladesh due to two floods and hurricane SIDR this year.
Side by side the private sector import, they said, the government should import essentials through state agency-- Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB)--and other official channels to ensure smooth supply and stabilise the local market.
Assuring the businessmen of providing all possible support for import, storage and marketing of their goods, Maj Gen Shakil urged the business community to do business in a manner that does not fuel the prices and affect the common man.
"It is not the job of the BDR to sell commodities; you will do your job under a normal condition," he said adding it is true that public sufferings have mounted due to skyrocketing of prices of essentials.
Although the food prices are high on the international market, but they are much higher in Bangladesh, Ahmed said, adding "all of you are not dishonest traders."
Referring to the open market economy, he said: "We cannot intervene to control the prices of essentials."
Ahmed called upon the wholesale traders to extend their cooperation to the efforts of the BDR that aim at lowering prices of the essentials.
BDR chief Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed Monday said businessmen were not harassed in the past six months in order to restore their confidence and bring prices of essentials.
"I hope business environment in the country will further improve as no businessman was sued in the past six months," BDR director general said while exchanging views with around 150 wholesale traders of various business forums at the Moulvibazar Business Association office in the city Monday.
Hasan Mahmud, director general of Rapid Action Battalion, Col Mujibul Haq, Dhaka zone operation officer of 'Dhal-Bhat' programme of BDR, Haji Nizamuddin, general secretary of Badamtali Rice Traders' Association, Shafiqul Islam, president of Chwakbazar Pulse Traders' Association, Abul Hashem, general secretary of Edible Oil Importers' Association, and Ali Asgar Kamal, president of Sugar Traders' Association, among others, attended the meeting with Md Abur Razzak, president of Dhaka Moulavibazar Business Association, in the chair.
Exchanging views, leaders of the wholesale traders called for formulating specific guidelines for sales and purchase, storage and marketing of each commodity so that they can run their businesses without any harassment.
The wholesale traders attributed the soaring prices of essentials to the price hike of goods in the international market, short supply of food and production shortfall in Bangladesh due to two floods and hurricane SIDR this year.
Side by side the private sector import, they said, the government should import essentials through state agency-- Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB)--and other official channels to ensure smooth supply and stabilise the local market.
Assuring the businessmen of providing all possible support for import, storage and marketing of their goods, Maj Gen Shakil urged the business community to do business in a manner that does not fuel the prices and affect the common man.
"It is not the job of the BDR to sell commodities; you will do your job under a normal condition," he said adding it is true that public sufferings have mounted due to skyrocketing of prices of essentials.
Although the food prices are high on the international market, but they are much higher in Bangladesh, Ahmed said, adding "all of you are not dishonest traders."
Referring to the open market economy, he said: "We cannot intervene to control the prices of essentials."
Ahmed called upon the wholesale traders to extend their cooperation to the efforts of the BDR that aim at lowering prices of the essentials.