Ctg pharmacy fined Tk30,000 for selling green coconuts at higher prices

The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) in Chattogram has fined a local pharmacy Tk30,000 for selling green coconuts at higher prices. 

The DNCRP officials conducted a drive in front of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) – where the majority of the port city's dengue patients are hospitalised – on information that sellers were charging Tk150-200 per green coconut which was Tk80-100 just a month ago.

The sellers seem to be taking advantage of a growing demand for coconut water, which is largely recommended for patients diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease, said Nasirin Akter, assistant director of the DNCRP, Chattogram, who led the operation on Tuesday morning.

She said, "Green coconut water is a vital drink for dengue patients. With the growing number of patients in the city, the demand for green coconut has grown and the sellers have been charging excessive prices over the last few days."

"We conducted a drive to check the growing prices of green coconuts in front of the CMCH and found a pharmacy named 'Raisa Medical Hall' was selling a single coconut for Tk150. We found a large stock in a room behind the shop. We also found the pharmacy was selling date-expired medicines. We fined them Tk30,000," she said.

Many vendors fled the scene before the DNCRP's drive, leaving behind the fruits in their makeshift shops and vans.

The DNCRP official also fined Tk500 to a green coconut seller for not showing the price list and Tk4,000 to the owner of a sweetshop named Fulkoli for selling products violating packaging rules, she added.

She also said such drives will continue to check for rising prices of products in the market.

In the last 24 hours till Tuesday (29 August), a total of 124 new patients have been diagnosed with dengue in the port city, bringing the total number of infected patients to 5,306 this year.