Two companies have been fined in two separate drives for creating an artificial crisis despite availability of soybean oil in cartons on Thursday.
A mobile court comprising police and BSTI officials, led by Deputy Director of National Directorate of Consumer Rights Faiz Ullah, conducted a drive at Khatunganj in Chattogram district in the afternoon.
The court later fined the owner of commercial establishment, one of the largest wholesale consumer goods markets in the country.
During the drive, the court also found the dealers are not supplying oil to the shops properly even after huge stock as such they are not selling oil on the plea of unavailability.
Deputy Director of National Directorate of Consumer Rights Faiz Ullah said, "First, one of us was sent to Messrs Al Amin Store' to check if there is oil. They said there is no oil. Later, we went to that establishment and got the huge oil."
The mobile court fined the store TK 20 thousand at the said area.
Later, we went to another dealer Satkania Store and asked whether they had oil. They also told us that they did not have oil. We learned from the company that 1300 cartons of oil, which contains about 24 thousand litres had been supplied to Satkania Store.
Later, the owner admitted that 600 cartons of oil had been supplied to him. Out of this, he was able to give us the account of the supply of 40 cartons of oil. He could not give the proper account of the rest resulting in creating artificial crisis.
During the drive, the court fined TK 50,000 to Satkania store for creating artificial crisis, Faiz Ullah added.
