Roundtable calls for consumer law reforms

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday urged the government to amend the consumer right protection law as it has some "loopholes".
The law formulated in April does not clearly mention punishment to wrongdoers, the speakers told the roundtable on Consumers' Right Protection Act 2009: Scope and Limitation, at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) organised the roundtable joined by academicians, former diplomats and other members of civil society.
ABM Faruque, former chairman of the Department of Pharmaceuticals Technology of University of Dhaka, said it took a long time to make the consumers right protection law, but it is not a standard law to protect the rights effectively.
Faruque mentioned the deaths of 25 children in 2009 and 800 children in 1992 from wrong medical prescriptions, which had only been "possible in the absence of strict enforcement of law".
"The government must control the use of formalin in food to protect human lives."
Executive Director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust Mohsin Ali Khan asked the government to strengthen Bangladesh Standards Testing Institution to ensure better quality of food items.
"If the government can remove the loopholes from the law properly, it will be strong enough to protect the consumer rights," said Ali, a former ambassador.
Waliur Rahman, former ambassador and director of Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA), urged the government to amend parts of the law to make it consumer-friendly.
"Stakeholders from different sectors should be involved in making the law more effective."
Anwarul Islam, former chairman of the Department of Marketing of Dhaka University, said many researches were done on consumer rights, but very few options have been kept in the law.
Khalilur Rahman Sajal, CAB's general secretary, and Emdad Hossain, senior programme officer, jointly presented the keynote paper while Kazi Faruque, president, moderated the function.