Their action has underlined for all concerned that accusations made over the last few years by the opposition had strong validity.

It would be useful to recall here that there has been criticism for quite some time in the print and the electronic media about such a sorry state of affairs. Persistent efforts to identify 'syndicates' being involved in such nefarious activities were however shrugged off repeatedly by more than one commerce minister of the pervious alliance regime. The opposition was accused of being sensational and being part of a 'conspiracy' to unnecessarily bring the country into disrepute. There were even suggestions that the opposition was essentially unpatriotic.

It has been disappointing to say the least, to see day after day, sordid revelations of graft and evil nexus that existed between the governance institutions and some among the trading community. It is also becoming abundantly apparent that a few individuals have controlled the steep rise in prices of essential food and medicine during the last regime. This was done through deliberate hoarding of certain food items. Artificial scarcity was created to increase prices. It is also clear that such a situation could have continued only through the tacit support of the political apparatus in place. The comrade-in-arms in this regard were the law and order authorities who blinked whenever push came to a shove. It is equally obvious that such immoral and reprehensible actions were tolerated because of contributions to party funds and to the pockets of a few individuals -- both politicians and bureaucrats.

On May 3 last year, Awami League lawmakers had suggested that 'syndicates' were involved in artificially controlling the market. The ten commerce minister had promised necessary steps after investigation. Unfortunately, nothing came out of it.

After this we heard that the government, in the interest of better governance, would take relevant measures to establish two new market regulators -- 'Consumer Bureau' and 'Consumer Council' -- for protecting the rights of consumers. It was even suggested that a 'Consumer Rights Protection Act' would be introduced. Inter-ministerial meetings were held, but the files never made significant progress in the corridors of the ministry of law. The legal vetting was strangled with red tape.

It is true that in any unregulated economy, there will be cartels. This happens all over the world and Bangladesh has been no exception. However, what is disheartening is the erosion of morality and the associated greed that has encouraged traders to not only hoard their products but also to use adulteration as a technique for increasing profit. It requires an evil mind, one totally devoid of conscience, to adulterate food products in the way that it has been done here. How can anybody mix sand, powdered brick and crushed seeds of sour plum with spices like turmeric and red chili powder? Similarly, it is incredible that rotten wheat can be crushed and mixed with regular wheat to increase the weight of flour -- to be used later for making bread. Cement, an essential ingredient in construction, has also been subjected to such ruthless adulteration. This has also been true with regard to fertilizers that were sold for use by unsuspecting farmers.

Investigations have also exposed that in some cases traders imported rotten cereals and out-of-date baby food deliberately, so that these items could be mixed and sold to increase profit. I do not know whether such acts are criminal enough to be classified as attempts towards murdering innocent consumers. I also do not know if such acts deserve capital punishment.

We have a Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute. It is not only ill equipped, but also unable to maintain and run the kind of monitoring system that is required both in terms of manpower and testing facilities. It suffers from lack of resources and requisite infrastructure. It is weak institution that has always been taken advantage of rather than supported.

There are also lacunas and loopholes in the legal regulatory system pertaining to adulteration. A recent seminar has quite correctly pointed out that there are strictures about adulteration but legal provisions are still fuzzy about adulteration with toxic substances. The relevant laws need to be updated, modified and made more comprehensive so that the list includes items like medicines, construction materials and fertilizers. The penalties for such criminal offences also need to be revised upwards in such a manner that they become more of deterrence for the offenders.

We need to treat this scenario with great care. This is particularly pertinent because of the steady growth of urbanisation in Bangladesh and consumers having to rely on pre-packaged and sometimes semi-processed products. Our daily lives revolve around printed dates of manufacture on items and dates of supposed expiry in terms of use. While buying such semi-finished and finished food products and food accessories (spices), we also have to trust and accept whatever is printed on the wrapper or packets regarding that food item's composition. An ordinary consumer implicitly never questions any seal that certifies that the product in general has met acceptable standards. All these aspects are taken for granted in any modern urbanised society.

Similarly, in rural areas, where agriculture is the mainstay of economic activity and source of livelihood, all farmers, without a second thought, buy and use pesticide, fertilizer, diesel oil and engine oil on the basis of what is printed on the packaging. They believe that the composition of such items is exactly according to the specifications narrated on top of the package. It is indeed distressing to find out that some traders have been misusing this belief, exploiting their simplicity and marketing adulterated products. Such exposure, in the last few weeks has eroded the rural trust bank. Consequently, there have been many angry comments in the electronic media.

For obvious reasons, such a negative state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue. It is just unacceptable.

This interim administration has been able to unearth many hoarding establishments filled with substandard and rotten products unfit for human consumption. This has probably been possible this time round because the relevant inspectors have not been cowed down through political pressure.

However, these steps cannot and should not be considered as enough. There is need now to sensitise more widely the dangers of such adulteration, particularly for children and others suffering from ailments. The print and the electronic media can, and should, play a more meaningful role in this regard in the exercise of civic responsibility. Rewards should also be announced for persons who, in the future, can reveal the existence of such dishonest and deceitful establishments.

The trial of those accused of such crimes, and also those associated in such criminal endeavours as accessory before the fact, needs to be undertaken in courts whose proceedings should be telecast live. There has to be public shaming of the individuals concerned. All those convicted, in addition to imprisonment, should also have their property attached and bank assets frozen. They should also lose their trading licence.

In might also be useful to force hoarders and others associated with adulteration, to perform compulsory community service without pay, with a sign hanging around their neck, explaining the reasons for their predicament. Time has come for the authorities to be harsh. Justice must not only take place but it must also be seen to be done.

Muhammad Zamir is a former Secretary and Ambassador who can be reached at mzamir@dhaka.net