Rangpur: Former Secretary and President of the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB), AHM Shafiquzzaman, has announced efforts to reorganize CAB to better realize consumer rights. Speaking as the chief guest at a divisional level capacity building training on food fortification and consumer rights held at the Circuit House Auditorium in Rangpur city, Shafiquzzaman emphasized the necessity of CAB’s role beyond market monitoring to include the protection of civil rights.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Shafiquzzaman highlighted the importance of raising awareness in drug pharmacies to prevent the sale of expired medicines, low-quality medicines, and overpriced or expired baby food. He stressed that CAB members should actively engage in raising awareness at both the trader and consumer levels about issues including fertilizer and transport syndicates, as well as adulterated seeds.
The event was presided over by Rangpur District CAB President Abdur Rahman, with Rangpur Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Enamul Ahsan attending as a special guest. Project Manager of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Md Abul Bashar Chowdhury, also contributed with a presentation on food qualities.
Shafiquzzaman further pointed out the challenges faced by the people of Rangpur, such as inadequate treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital and the need for more educational institutions for quality education. He acknowledged problems in agriculture, including dealership issues and the inability of locals to secure fair prices for agricultural products due to extortion during transportation.
He urged CAB members to be proactive, stating that “Abu Sayeed’s Rangpur must have changed and it will not work as before.” He also addressed the Deputy Commissioner about the potential for traders to increase prices during the upcoming elections, motivated by the desire for higher profits, and stressed the importance of monitoring this issue.
The event included speeches from other notable figures such as Rangpur Divisional Deputy Director of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection Md Jahangir Alam, Assistant Director Momtaz Begum, Rangpur District CAB General Secretary Amirul Islam Raju, Metropolitan CAB President Dilip Kumar, General Secretary Joynal Abedin Mithu, and other CAB leaders.