The government is set to introduce mobile courts with strengthened capacity in the city today (Wednesday) to prevent artificial price hike of essential items.
It will deploy 10 teams - four from the commerce ministry and six from the Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP) - to intensify monitoring of the markets, a meeting was told.
The DNCRP organised the meeting with traders at its office on Tuesday.
Earlier, only four teams of the DNCRP were active in the market monitoring.
The government has taken the latest move as the prices of many essential commodities have already went up significantly in recent weeks, putting the commoners in a great misery.
DNCRP director general AHM Shafiquzzaman, its director Monjur Mohammad Shariar, traders' representatives from different markets and representatives from the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) also spoke among others.
Mr Shafiquzzaman said the traders will have to be aware of the basics of the Consumers Right Protection Act 2009 while conducting their business.
He urged the traders to refrain from selling the products which are allocated for TCB's (Trading Corporation of Bangladesh) open market sale.
Traders have, however, been told to keep trading vouchers both for buying and selling.
Mr Shfiquzzaman said a sticker of import source should be attached to the sacks, bags, containers or other jars/pots by the traders.
General secretary of Moulovibazar Aratdar Baboshayee Samity Azmal Hossain Bablu said the traders in his market have nothing to do with the price hike of edible oil, sugar or other essential items.
He said the refiners/importers and their thousands of distributors across the country were now dominating directly the market of key essential items like edible oil, flour, sugar, pulses, etc.
Mr Bablu said the Khatunganj wholesale in Chattogram has much more influence on market than that of the Dhaka wholesales.
Joint secretary of Shyambazar Krishi Ponno Arotdar Bonik Samity AKN Kamruzzaman Patwary, president of Karwan Bazar Kanchamal Baboshayee Aratdar Samity Md Omar Faruq, president of Mohammadpur Town Hall Baboshayee Samity Lutfar Rahman Babul, secretary of Begum Zahura Market in Uttara Md Alamgir also spoke among others.
