Mohammad Alim Akhter Khan, Director General (DG) of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP), has said there is no pressure from higher authorities on the agency's operations.
He said it on Monday while speaking at a seminar titled "Existing Challenges and Actions to Protect Consumer Interests" held at the conference room of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner's Office in Segunbagicha.
The DG said, "At least during my tenure, up until today, no higher authority has ever pressurized me. No one has told me what to do or what not to do. Similarly, I haven't imposed anything on my officers. I've told them to work freely. If they make a mistake, they can submit a report, and I will review it - I can guarantee that."
He claimed even some largest companies have been summoned to the directorate and were fined for violations.
The seminar's keynote paper was presented by Professor Dr. Syed Mizanur Rahman, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at Daffodil International University.
Professor Dr. M. Shamsul Alam, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the same university, participated as chief discussant. The session was presided over by Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury.
Leaders from various business associations in Dhaka, consumer rights activists, students, general consumers, and officials from the directorate were also present at the seminar.
Addressing the growing concern about online businesses, the DG said,"Given the amount of fraud taking place through online in this country, it may be wise to avoid them for now. We've received nearly 40,000 complaints regarding online transactions. This high number of complaints reflects increased consumer awareness."
He also mentioned that with Eid-ul-Adha approaching, consumers have begun reporting issues related to refrigerators.
"I want my work to be transparent," the DG added. "You should be able to ask questions and get clarity. I am always open to the public. From our end, I can assure you that we will intensify our internal operations.
We will try our best to serve the people. I won't claim we can achieve 100 percent but we will certainly try," he said.
