Jewellers' body wants in on home ministry's anti-smuggling task force
The Bangladesh Jewellers' Association (Bajus) has proposed to include its representatives into the Anti-Smuggling Task Force of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at the Secretariat on Tuesday (16 January), leaders of the organisation also demanded its representatives, including the president and general secretary, to be a part of anti-smuggling activities and the law and order committee at divisional and district levels.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Bajus spokesperson Dr Dilip Kumar Roy said, "Some issues [Bajus] were discussed in the meeting with the minister. This industry [gold] is going through various crises. The minister has played a good role in the past. He has promised to solve our problems in the future as well."
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In a written resolution, Bajus alleged that jewellers are often harassed by law enforcement agencies while transporting gold. In this regard, the organisation has demanded ensuring proper measures so that the law enforcement forces do not harass them if they show the copy of the organisation's challan, the carrier's NID and Bajus identity card during the transportation of gold ornaments.
Mentioning that many incidents of theft and robberies have occurred in jewellery shops across the country, Dilip Kumar further said, "As per the current law, the police station accepts the cases as general theft. [But] Gold is a precious metal. So, a proposal was made to amend the law."
"According to the [Bangladesh] gold policy, gold can be imported and exported," he said, adding that there are some legal hurdles in this regard due to which it is not possible to determine gold prices as per the international market.
Among others, Bajus vice-president Gulzar Ahmed, Md Ripnul Hasan, Masudur Rahman, Md Zainal Abedin and Samit Ghosh, Executive Member Dr Dewan Aminul Islam Shaheen, Advisor Ruhul Amin Russell, Executive Member Pavitra Chandra Ghosh and Iqbal Uddin were present in the meeting.
