Zamzam Well water given as charity can't be sold in Bangladesh
Consumer rights directorate bans sale of charity items from KSA
The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has banned the sale of all items collected from Saudi Arabia for charitable means, including holy water of Makkah's Zamzam Well, which is brought into the country by Muslim devotees.
The directorate also warned against the use of religious sentiments and flashy advertisements to allure people to buy products brought from the Kingdom, including dates and perfumes.
"Charity products from Saudi Arabia cannot be sold in the country. Zamzam water is brought as a charity product. One individual is allowed to bring one bottle of this water. It cannot be sold in the country through various flashy advertisements," said DNCRP Director Fakir Mohammad Munawar Hossain during a views-exchange meeting with traders at the directorate on Sunday.
If anyone sells products such as dates and olive oils brought from Saudi Arabia using religious sentiments, it will be considered as fraud, he said.
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"Businesses capitalising on religious sentiments must be stopped."
The DNCRP director further said there is no permission from Saudi Arabia to sell the water collected from Zamzam well. Bangladesh does not allow it either. The water is for personal use.
At the meeting, date importer Sirajul Islam expressed fears that traders will not be able to supply an adequate amount of dates during the upcoming Ramadan, due to the high tax rates imposed on date imports.
"Last year, I opened an LC (letter of credit) for the import of 21,000 tonnes of dates. This year, I planned to import 7,000 tonnes but could not open any LC yet. I need an additional amount of Tk15-16 crore for the import," he said.
Helal Uddin, the president of the Bangladesh Shop Owners' Association, called for withdrawal of the high tax rates imposed on various products, including dates.
