Amid a sudden increase in iron rod price and other construction materials, the ‘Parliamentary Committee on Government Organisations’ on Wednesday recommended conducting drives in the market as well as to find out whether any syndicate is active behind it.
Besides, rebuking businessmen for increasing oil prices, the parliamentary committee also termed the increase of soybean oil prices in the country's market as "shameful" on the pretext of international markets.
According to sources, the committee at its meeting held at the National Parliament building on Wednesday discussed the activities of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and the Department of Consumer Rights Protection. At the meeting increase in iron rod prices and oil price got priorities in the discussion.
After the meeting, ASM Firoz, chairman of the committee, talked to journalists and raised questions as to why did rod price suddenly go up?
“The sudden increase of iron rod is damaging the construction work of the country’s infrastructures,” he said and continued as saying that the committee has asked the ‘Consumer Rights Protection Department’ to conduct drives in the market and recommended to find out if any syndicate is working here."
It is learned that from the beginning of this March, the iron rod price increased from Tk 72,000 to Tk 88,000 per ton, which was Tk 77,000 to Tk 80,000 in the last month.
Sources said producers are blaming the Russia-Ukraine war for the crisis over the supply of raw materials. But retailers say prices have been rising since before the war began.
Talking about the increase in oil prices, ASM Firoz, chairman of the ‘Parliamentary Committee on Government Organisations’ said, “Traders acted shamefully by increasing edible oil price unfairly.”
“It has embarrassed the whole country. The countrymen want to get rid of this shame. The government has taken steps to reduce oil prices and conducted drives to protect consumer rights. TCB is now supplying products to the people,” he said.
The chairman of the committee also said that the committee has also recommended increasing the capacity of TCB as well for the increasing of the budget in this regard.
“Weak TCBs can't do great things. The TCB needs more budget. Warehouses are required in every division”, he said and continued as saying, “We recommend allocating more money for this purpose.”
“We also said that TCB should buy goods from government importers without buying goods through tender, otherwise there would be a syndicate in the tender,” he added.
The meeting was attended, among others, by officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, Additional Secretary of IMED, Chairman of TCB, Director General of National Consumer Rights Protection Department and Commercial Audit Department, Ministry of Commerce and concerned officials of Parliament Secretariat.
