Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association has alleged various government departments are silently extorting money from the restaurant sector.
It has warned all restaurants will be closed in the future if extortion and harassment continue.
Its Secretary General Imran Hasan demanded a separate department to control this sector at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday.
He said the biggest obstacle to ensuring safe food was the non-cooperation of various government departments.
“Twelve departments monitor us. They each interfere in this sector in their own way. They often conduct drives without experts and are ruining our business by intimidating us in the name of imposing fines. This is why ensuring safe food is not possible,” Imran explained.
He said the two city corporations in Dhaka also monitor the restaurant sector.
“We have been demanding for long that the restaurant sector be brought under one authority, but that has not happened yet. We are seeking the prime minister’s intervention in this regard.”
He further said, “We requested Bangladesh Food Safety Authority to bring our sector under a ministry or a directorate and give us an acceptable standard operating procedure (SOP). But they have not given us any SOP yet.”
The business leader urged restaurant owners to do business ethically during Ramadan. “We need to ensure the safety of Iftar, Sehri, and other food items in this holy month. Businesses should not lose their ethics to make more profits.”
He said the restaurant sector was hit the hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. “We do not want any incentive from the government. We want low-interest, long-term loans from the small and medium enterprise sector so that we can sustain.”
The association’s President Osman Gani, Treasurer Taufiqul Islam, and Organising Secretary Syed Mohammad Andalib were present at the press conference.
