I read in newspapers sometime ago that a law in draft form had recommended maximum fines ranging between twenty thousand to fifty thousand Taka for those who produce, market and distribute spurious, substandard and hazardous consumer goods. But one is rightly led to thinking whether these fines are likely to be considered as too small by the present violators because in many cases they make enormous profits regularly to consider paying of such fines as minor irritants on their sides.
The maximum penalty of three years imprisonment are also likely to be similarly brushed aside and in most cases the offenders would be able to get away by paying only fines. Then, there would remain the scope for the producers to challenge the charges on higher courts of law.
Thus, every way one looks at it, it seems that the law in the offing is unlikely to introduce a major disincentive for the production and distribution of poor quality or unsafe products.
But the need for regulating the quality and safety of consumer products has sharply come into focus after the recent detection of a wide range of poor quality or unsafe products.
Thus, the maximum fines should be in the range of millions of taka and the maximum provision of imprisonment ought to be imprisonment for life and rigorous imprisonment not less than seven to ten years. Only such hard penalties and the fear of their execution might create the kind of fear necessary to discourage the production and marketing of sub-standard and hazardous products.
Samiul Haque
Dhanmodi,
Dhaka
Tougher laws to protect consumers
FE Team | Published: September 03, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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