The High Court yesterday directed the government to set up immediately adequate number of mobile courts in Dhaka and Chittagong cities to monitor wholesale markets and rein in soaring prices of essentials.
The HC issued a rule upon the government also to explain within 10 days its inaction to check the price hike.
An HC bench comprised of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore came up with the rule after hearing a public interest litigation filed on Sunday by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights body.
The bench ordered the secretaries to the ministries of commerce and food to take appropriate legal actions against the businessmen responsible for increasing the prices and creating an artificial crisis of essentials.
It ordered the police to assist the mobile courts as per their requirements.
The HC also asked the government to submit to it within seven days a report on the progress of setting up mobile courts and their operation.
The commerce and the food secretaries, and the deputy commissioners of Dhaka and Chittagong were made respondents to the rule.
The HRPB filed the petition following news reports that corrupt traders are raising the prices of essentials ahead of Ramadan.
Moving the petition, HRPB President Manzill Murshid told the court that a section of dishonest businessmen have created a crisis of foods and other commodities by forming a syndicate. He prayed for the court to order setting up mobile courts to contain the prices of essentials, and punishing the dishonest traders.
Deputy Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain opposed the petition, saying there is a shortage of magistrates and manpower to run adequate number of mobile courts to monitor markets and control prices.
Source : The Daily Star
No comments:
Post a Comment