ACI Godrej, Aftab Feed among seven firms fined Tk14.8 lakh for lacking BSTI certification

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) has fined seven establishments Tk14.8 lakh for producing and marketing products without obtaining mandatory quality certificates and packaging registrations.

The penalties were imposed through three separate mobile court operations conducted in Narayanganj's Rupganj and Dhaka's Basila and Hazaribagh areas today (26 July).

Among the penalised establishments were ACI Godrej Agrovet Private Limited and Aftab Feed Products Limited, each fined Tk4 lakh for producing and selling poultry and fish feed without BSTI quality certification and packaging registration.

The two companies were each fined Tk2 lakh under the BSTI Act, 2018, and another Tk2 lakh under the Weights and Measures Standards Act, 2018.

Jiuzhou Industry Ltd was fined Tk2 lakh for producing and marketing lead-acid starter batteries without the required quality certificate and packaging registration, including Tk1 lakh under each of the two laws.

These three establishments in Rupganj were fined a total of Tk10 lakh.

In Dhaka's Basila area, Aman Consumer and Toiletries and Standard Consumer and Toiletries were fined Tk3.5 lakh for producing and marketing handwash and liquid toilet cleaners under names similar to those of established brands.

In Hazaribagh, confectionery brand Mithai was fined Tk1 lakh for selling sweets, biscuits and lachcha semai without BSTI certification.

Another establishment, Apurbo Anondo Jol Khabar, was fined Tk30,000 for producing and marketing sweets and yoghurt without obtaining the required certification.

The mobile courts in Narayanganj, Basila and Hazaribagh were led by BSTI executive magistrates Sabekun Nahar, Lutfunnesa Khanam and Md Mahbubul Islam respectively.

BSTI Deputy Director KM Hanif, Assistant Director (Metrology) Md Rakibul Alam, field officers Md Rashed Al Mamun, Borhan Uddin and other officials were present during the drives.