HC directs DNCRP to launch hotline in three months

The High Court yesterday directed the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) to launch a 24-hour hotline in three months, to receive complaints from consumers regarding adulterated food and to provide service on priority basis.

The court asked DNCRP to set up the hotline through outsourcing, and directed the finance and commerce ministries to allocate necessary funds without any bureaucratic tangle for this purpose. 

The HC bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Badruzzaman passed the order while hearing a writ petition -- filed on May 9 -- seeking its directive on the government to confiscate or withdraw 52 “substandard” food items from markets all over the country.

During hearing yesterday, Shamim Al Mamun, a director of admin and finance division of the DNCRP, appeared before the HC bench following the summons issued on August 20 when DNCRP submitted a report to the HC saying that it has sought for an allocation of Tk 50 lakh from the commerce ministry for installing the hotline.

The court had summoned him to hear his explanation about the directorate’s budget proposal of Tk 50 lakh for the consumer service hotline installation.

The director apologised to the court on behalf of DNCRP as it did not discuss the “outsourcing” issue for installing the hotline.

Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) also submitted a report yesterday to the HC through its lawyer Barrister Sarkar MR Hassan, saying BSTI in its latest tests has found 13 food items of 11 companies to be substandard.

The food items are: Farm Fresh ghee, Shakti and Kitchena fortified soybean oil, Chef fortified  soybean oil, Uut iodised salt, Nazrul iodised salt, Madina laccha semai, Modern skin cream, GM skin cream, Arabian  Special ghee, Raven laccha semai, Khazana laccha semai, ghee and chanachur. BSTI also cancelled CM licences of the products.

Barrister Sarkar MR Hassan told the court that BSTI circulated advertisement in newspapers asking the companies not to produce, preserve, supply and sell the products and to withdraw them from markets until the companies obtain fresh license from BSTI.

After receiving the report, the HC asked BSTI to submit report after further testing the food items during its next hearing on October 15.

Earlier on June 16, during hearing the same writ petition, the HC ordered DNCRP to launch in two months a round-the-clock hotline for consumers who would like to file complaints on food adulteration.  

It also asked DNCRP to keep its official number +8801777753668 operational round-the-clock, and said the officials should work on holidays.

HC also directed the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA), DNCRP and BSTI to hold drives against food adulteration throughout the year and periodically submit reports before the court on the steps taken against food adulteration.  

Barrister Mohammad Faridul Islam and Advocate Kamruzzaman Kachi appeared for BFSA and DNCRP respectively.