Own Correspondent: The wholesale and retail traders of Chittagong are unwilling to accept the price of eggs, even if the government decides it. Therefore, seven traders have been fined for selling eggs at excessive prices in the operation of the National Consumer Protection Directorate. On Wednesday (August 16), Assistant Director of the Directorate Nasreen Haque led the operation conducted in Choumuhani Bazar of the city.
But two days ago, the government issued a directive that the price of eggs per piece at the consumer level cannot be more than 12 rupees. However, eggs were sold at Tk 12 per piece in the Chittagong wholesale market on Wednesday. And in retail, each piece of egg is being sold for 13 to 14 taka.
Nasreen Haque, assistant director of the Chittagong district office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection, said that seven traders were fined Tk 10,000 for not having a price list of eggs in the shop and not selling them at the price fixed by the government. In the raid, J Alam Brothers of Chowmuhani Bazaar of the city were fined Tk 1,000, Halal Shop Tk 1,000, Popular Store Tk 1,000, Jilani Store Tk 1,000, Nasfika Traders Tk 2,000, Amin Enterprise Tk 2,000, and Raj Enterprise Tk 2,000.
Earlier on August 12, Jannat Traders and Jainpur Traders of Pahartali Bazaar were fined Tk 20,000 and Tk 20,000 for not having a price list and finding discrepancies in the purchase and sale receipts. Besides, on August 15, a company named Al Amin Egg Farm was fined Tk 10,000 in Pahartali market for selling extra eggs by putting the price on the voucher. SM Najer Hossain, vice president of the Central Committee of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh, said that dishonest traders manipulate each product one by one. Now the egg traders have manipulated and increased the price of eggs.
They are making more profit by putting their own price on the purchase receipt. And ordinary people are suffering. So the government agencies have to take more strict measures in this regard.
