Kitchen market monitoring hits a snag in capital

The kitchen market monitoring activities are seriously being hampered as required number of law enforcers are not available for conducting drives against irregularities committed by traders, officials said.

The officials and market analysts blame it on the lack of coordination between the monitoring authority and law enforcers, but it is the consumers who are eventually affected as far as prices and safe food issues are concerned.

The ministry of commerce (MoC) has asked the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to appoint necessary number of police force centrally for market monitoring teams.

The ministry has also urged the home ministry to appoint required number of armed policemen centrally for smooth operation of the teams.

Presently, the police reserve force is not available for conducting the kitchen market monitoring drives in the city, the officials said.

So, the teams call in law enforcers from the police stations close to the markets targeted for drives.

Contacted, a senior secretary of the Ministry of Commerce said, "We have sent letters to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and the home ministry seeking reserve force in this regard."

A high official of the commerce ministry who deals with the issue told the FE that they earlier had reserve force on standby for the market monitoring drives.

"But now we have no such reserve force. We call in police members from the police stations before going for drives."

In most cases, no law enforcers are available for conducting the monitoring activities, the official said.

"If the situation continues, it will be difficult for the authorities concerned to keep the prices of essentials stable in the coming months," he added.

Market monitoring can be carried out smoothly and conveniently if reserve force is kept on standby, the official said.

The government reconstituted 14 teams that monitor price movements and help prevent abnormal situation in the city market.

The members of the teams were drawn from different ministries, government agencies and business associations, according to the commerce ministry.

The government intends to closely monitor the price situation with a view to keeping the prices of essentials within the buying capacity of the common people, said a high official of the ministry.

The reconstituted watchdog panels inspect the wholesale and retail prices of essentials in the Dhaka city.

They also collect price data and gather information about stocks and supply of essentials during their drives, he said.

If any kind of abnormal situation arises in the market, the teams take action by punishing traders and other people concerned through on-the-spot mobile courts, according to the ministry of commerce.

The teams also take stern action against the manipulators as per the existing laws.

The members of the teams have to report to the ministry of commerce at 9:15am every day, according to a market monitoring plan.

"We often sit to evaluate the activities of the teams monitoring the prices of essentials in the capital city. We ask the teams to be more careful about their duties and activities throughout the year," an official told the FE.

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