Two companies fined Tk4 lakh for selling unauthorised ghee, harmful drugs

A mobile court of the district administration in Chattogram conducted drives in the port city's Muradpur area and Bscic Industrial Estate of Baizid Bostami area and fined two companies Tk4 lakh for selling unregistered drugs and producing unauthorised ghee.

Officials of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) participated in the drive on Monday, led by Executive Magistrate Pratik Dutta of Chattogram district administration.

During the drive, the mobile court also seized illegal goods and harmful drugs worth about Tk2 lakh and destroyed those.

According to the district administration, a factory named Kalpana Commodities at Bscic in the Baizid Bostami area has been manufacturing 10 types of ghee without obtaining the approval of BSTI. Mainly, the owner kept it open from midnight till dawn so that locals do not know.

Noticing the irregularities, the mobile court fined factory owner Jagdish Ghosh Tk1 lakh for producing ghee using a fake logo without taking BSTI's approval.

Then, the court raided a shop named Excellent World in Muradpur intersection and found sex enhancement drugs, gastric, and diabetes tablets without the Drug Administration's approval. The shop was also selling food supplements with various flashy advertisements and body lotions and honey using fake BSTI logos.

The mobile court fined Abu Taher, the manager of the company, Tk1 lakh for violating the Drugs Act, Tk1 lakh for breaching the BSTI Act, and Tk1 lakh for violating the Consumer Rights Act for deceiving the consumer with false advertisement.

District Administration Executive Magistrate Prateek Dutta told The Business Standard, "The two companies have used fake logos without taking the approval of the authorities concerned. We found evidence that they were involved in manufacturing and selling harmful products."