Shudir Baran Mazi

People's living conditions are becoming increasingly difficult due to rising commodity prices. The prices of daily necessities are constantly increasing, making it very challenging for common people to adjust their income and expenditure. Especially the lower and middle class people are in the most danger, because their income is not matching the expenditure. Currently, the rise in commodity prices in Bangladesh has become a big challenge for many people. Lower and middle class families are suffering the most due to price hike. Especially the prices of rice, pulses, oil, vegetables, and other essential commodities are going beyond the purchasing power of common people. Food and nutrition for the working class, lower class and middle class are now out of reach.

If the fire of the market continues to burn like this, we may one day be extinguished by starvation, half-starvation, malnutrition. Go. That day, I entered a small tea shop next to the house. I was waiting by ordering tea. I see everyone talking at the surrounding tables. At the next table, one is saying to the other, 'Brother, I will not live anymore! The road to survival has become very difficult. Day by day class discrimination is becoming evident. And so a class of people are becoming banyan trees with swollen fingers day by day. The dynamic economy of the country is disappearing in the darkness of the night. Syndicates create misery and family and social crisis in public life. No civilized country can have such a syndicate. The whole country, 18 crore people of the country have become hostage to these syndicates or manipulators.

Those who wait for opportunities in any situation are called opportunists. The ability to take advantage of an opportunity is called skill. Whatever the situation, they are entrepreneurs who can turn it into an opportunity. Although people have two hands, the hands of businessmen of our country are basically three right hand, left hand and another hand which is most important for them is excuse. Excuses are what businessmen in our country have most in store. They can increase the price of goods on any pretext. If there is a flood, drought, winter, a war far away from the country, if the political situation is hot or Eid, Puja, New Year, they can make the excuse to increase the price of goods. People's emotions, celebrations or anxiety are all opportunities to increase profits. The rise in the prices of daily commodities increases the suffering of people of all strata but it reaches unbearable levels for people with limited income. Rising inflation, rising unemployment and artificial scarcity of goods have led to deterioration in the standard of living of the common people. People are suffering due to reduced purchasing power. Syndicate traders are not only inflating the price of goods but also involved in adulteration.

According to the Department of Livestock, there is a demand of at least four and a half million eggs per day in the country. Then just for eggs it takes about 13 crores extra money every day. If an average of 6 million kg of rice is needed every day and if the home business is done at an average of 5 taka per kg, then who gets this money taken out of the people's pockets daily from the rice market and from other products, where does it go? Buyers are not hesitating to express their anger over the current interim government's failure to regulate the market.

Prices of products are increasing almost every day. This fire in the market is not only limited to food products, this fire has also spread unusually to educational materials, life saving medicines and other products. Sellers' excuse is that due to flood, the price of vegetables has increased due to shortage in supply. But buyers are blaming the interim government's weak monitoring system. Earlier it was said that the price of vegetables in Dhaka is high due to extortion by trucks coming from North Bengal. The old extortionists have fled, so now the question is, has the extortion not stopped or is the government unable to take measures? Even though the country has changed, the market syndicate has remained the same? No matter how much the responsibility is avoided, in reality, the lower and middle class are struggling to run the household as the prices of goods are increasing.

Why do people expect inflation to decrease? Because inflation reduces its purchasing power which has an effect from stomach to head. Daily food gets strained and burden of debt increases to meet living expenses. For this, the government should take all the necessary measures. It's time to think again about inflation from the point of view of the general public. Again, why the prices of raw materials have decreased slightly, but the prices of products have not decreased. What is the reason and manipulation, that also needs to be revealed.

Along with corruption, misrule, the increase in the price of goods made it difficult for people to run their families, so people started the movement. The government has resigned and emigrated but has the syndicate given up greed? Every day, the amount of money looted and smuggled by the business syndicates during the previous government is coming to the newspaper. In a capitalist system capitalists can do anything for profit. Greed and plunder cannot be controlled by advice. Even by consoling the people, their cries cannot be stopped. Effective measures are needed to control the market.

If Sri Lanka can control commodity prices and inflation after the coup, why can't Bangladesh? Let the government rein in the increase in commodity prices. Along with such expectation, the solution path also needs to be determined. Ordinary people don't want much. Only want assurance of thick rice, thick clothes. Strict measures should be taken to control the supply of products in the market, against dishonest and syndicate traders. Syndicates must be broken by establishing transparency and accountability in the political, economic and administrative spheres. State institution TCB should be strengthened and activated as well as Consumer Rights Authority should be made more effective. Crime trends and money laundering cannot be curbed unless market syndicates are broken. It will not be possible to move forward on the path of prosperity and development by keeping the country's economy dynamic. We want syndicate free country. I want assurance of affordability. Want assurance of healthy and normal life.

The writer is a, Teacher Haimchar Government College, Haimchar, Chandpur.