The number products and services licence renewal from standards authorities soared in seven months of the current fiscal year with the government agencies launching drives against business irregularities and food adulteration.

A total of 87,02,026 products and services got their licences renewed from Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) until January of 2007-08 against only 2,026 last fiscal year.

All products and services are required to renew their licences from the BSTI, the state agency that works under the Ministry of Industries.

Rafiqul Islam, an inspector of BSTI, said the unusual rise in licence renewal is the result of mobile courts that have been in operations for the last one year.

“Previously a few teams used to check BSTI certification. But now many mobile teams are in operations, forcing businesses to became more BSTI complaint,” Rafiqul added.

A total of 511,645 surveillance or mobile teams operated during the first seven months of the current fiscal against only 645 teams in the previous fiscal.

BSTI also refused record 378,973 applications that sought new licence this fiscal until January. In the previous fiscal, only 973 licences were refused.

Moreover, vigilance teams filed a total of 124,11,426 cases during the period against only 1426 cases during the previous fiscal.

Industries ministry sources said the government is going to expand the BSTI capacity to match with the growing volume of activities.

“It is now going to be impossible to perform the duties with existing capacity as work volume has increased tremendously,” another official said.

The government is working to strengthen offices outside Dhaka for meaningful decentralization so that the regional offices can function effectively, he added

The BSTI officials also feel some laws need to be amended to protect consumers' rights.

“Some businessmen are still trying to cheat consumers to escape the existing laws when it comes to maintaining quality and standards of products,” said a consumer rights expert.

jasim@thedailystar.net