BSTI fines seven firms Tk 15 lakh for certification, lab testing violations

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has fined seven companies a total of Tk 15 lakh in separate mobile court drives for producing or marketing products without mandatory quality certification, laboratory testing, or packaging registration.

Three mobile courts conducted the drives today in Narayanganj's Rupganj and Dhaka's Bosila and Hazaribagh areas.

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The highest penalties were imposed on ACI Godrej Agrovet Pvt Ltd and Aftab Feed Products Ltd—Tk 4 lakh each—for producing, selling, and distributing poultry and fish feed without obtaining BSTI quality certification and packaging registration.

In response, Mohammed Mahmudul Hassan, chief financial officer of Aftab Feed, said his company did not obtain a BSTI licence because it is waiting for the implementation of a decision taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on July 9, which cancelled the mandatory requirement to obtain such certification for poultry and fish feed.

On the other hand, Arman Tugnawat, lead, business development, at ACI Godrej Agrovet Pvt Ltd, declined to comment on the BSTI fine, saying he was not the right person to respond.

According to BSTI, each company was fined Tk 2 lakh under the BSTI Act, 2018, and another Tk 2 lakh under the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 2018.

Jiuzhou Industry Ltd, a manufacturer of lead-acid starter batteries in Rupganj, was fined Tk 2 lakh for producing, selling, and distributing its products without the required BSTI certification and packaging registration.

In a separate drive in Bosila, BSTI fined Aman Consumer and Toiletries and Standard Consumer and Toiletries a combined Tk 3.5 lakh for manufacturing and marketing handwash and liquid toilet cleaners under the names Lyzol, Hirpic, and Vin, which resemble well-known products of established companies such as Lizol, Harpic, and Vim.

Another mobile court in Hazaribagh fined Mithai, a concern of PRAN-RFL Group, Tk 1 lakh for selling sweets, biscuits, and lachcha semai without BSTI certification.

Touhiduzzaman, public relations officer of Mithai, said the three products identified during the drive all have valid and up-to-date BSTI licences.

However, he said the company was unable to produce the licences immediately during the inspection.

According to him, the official responsible for BSTI compliance was on the way to the site with the licence documents, but the authorities did not allow enough time before imposing the fine and issuing the challan.

He said the company representative later met the magistrate and presented the matter but was told there was no scope to reverse the action as the challan had already been issued.

Apurbo Ananda Jal Khabar was fined Tk 30,000 for producing and marketing sweets and yoghurt without obtaining the required BSTI certification.

The mobile courts were led by BSTI Executive Magistrates Sabekun Nahar in Rupganj, Lutfunnesa Khanam in Bosila, and Md Mahbubul Islam in Hazaribagh.