The number of complaints filed by consumers with the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has been increasing sharply.
In the first six months (July-December) of the current fiscal year, the number of complaints was 19,826, which was 77 per cent of the total complaints filed in the last fiscal year. In the fiscal year 2022-23, the number of complaints was 25,605.
Officials of the agency say that at the rate of complaints, the total number of complaints in the current fiscal year may exceed 30,000.
However, in the current fiscal year, the number of institutions that faced penalty through market raids and other raids has decreased slightly. During the July-December period of the last fiscal year, 46 per cent of the total drives were conducted by DNCRP.
DNCRP has revealed the information in its half yearly report recently.
According to the report, consumers have lodged a total of 118,482 complaints with DNCRP in the last 10 years since FY2014-15, out of which 114,665 complaints have been resolved. In the last 10 years, most of the complaints have come in the current fiscal year. Deceived consumers have filed 19,826 complaints and the authorities have resolved 16,009 complaints.
AHM Shafiquzzaman, Director General (Additional Secretary) of DNCRP said, "We have upgraded the Consumer Complaint Management System (CCMS). So, filing a complaint has become easier in this system. Therefore, the number of complaints is also increasing. Besides, we have increased consumer awareness that has encouraged consumers to file complaints with DNCRP if they are cheated somewhere. So, the number of complaints is also increasing.”
A total of 25,605 complaints were lodged during the financial year 2022-23, all of which were disposed of by DNCRP. In the previous FY2021-22, the number of complaints and disposals was 25,346. It was 14,910 in FY2020-21, 9,195 in FY2019-20, 7,515 in FY2018-19, 9,019 in FY2017-18, 6,140 in FY2016-17, 662 in FY2015-16 and only 264 in FY2014-15.
Although the number of complaints has increased, the number of market raids has decreased this year. In six months of the current financial year, the directorate has conducted a total of 5,374 market operations, which is 46 per cent of the total market operations of the last fiscal year.
DNCRP conducted a total of 11,670 market operations across the country last year. As the number of raids has decreased, the number of imposing penalties and fines has also decreased.
A total of 11,685 organisations have been fined Tk 6,7640,000 by them in the first six months, which is less than half of the previous financial year. In the last financial year 2022-23, a total of 25,645 business entities were fined Tk 18.85 crore.
In last 10 years, DNCRP collected Tk 106.22 crore in fines from different businesses on various charges during the market drives.
In the last 15 fiscal years (as of December of fiscal year 2023-24), this department under the Ministry of Commerce has conducted drives in 70,878 markets across the country.
They have fined 166,290 entities over Tk 114.47 crore during these raids.
DNCRP officials say that they do not have to rely much on the ministry to meet its financial expenses. It is possible to meet almost the entire financial cost with fine it collects from business entities.
DNCRP was established in 2009. It is a quasi-judicial government agency under the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009 which deals with receiving and settling of consumer complaints on goods and services and protection of rights.
It is headquartered in Dhaka and has local offices in each divisional and district town. Under the act, a seller will be obliged to provide all information on his product to buyer.
