Dhaka, Aug 18 – A writ petition was filed on Sunday with the High Court (HC) seeking its directives to form a judicial inquiry committee to find out the reasons behind the unprecedented and drastic price fall or rawhides and skins across the country.It also sought HC direction to cancel the license or to take punitive actions against the person, business institutions, association or any other who were responsible over the drastic price fall.
After filing the petition, Barrister Mohiuddin Md Hanif, a Supreme Court lawyer, moved it yesterday. But two HC benches, bench of Justice F R M Nazmul Ahasan and Justice K M Kamrul Kader and the bench of Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif and Justice Md Badruzzaman, expressed unwillingness to hear the petition.
The petitioner said, he would mention the petition in another court on Monday (today).
In the petition the lawyer sought to the court to issue a rule upon the respondents to show cause as to why inaction and failure of the respondents to prevent unprecedented and drastic price fall of rawhides and skins across the country shall not be declared to be illegal and as to why a direction shall not be given to form a judicial inquiry committee to find out the reasons behind the price fall of rawhides and skins and as to why the respondents shall not be directed to cancel the license or to take punitive actions against the person, business institutions, association or any other who is/are liable for this drastic price fall of rawhides and skins.
Secretaries of Commerce and Industries, Bangladesh Tanners Association’s Chairman and Bangladesh Hide and Skin Merchants Association’s President have been made respondents in the writ petition.
The lawyer said in the petition, “Leather and leather-products are the second largest export items of Bangladesh. 50 percent demand of raw materials for making leather and leather goods are collected in qurbani season, however, this year targets have not been fulfilled. Rather seasonal and small traders along with madrasah, lillah boarding, and orphanages suffered unprecedented and drastic low price of rawhides and skins as the respondents have failed to ensure the fair price or even the price fixed by the government.”
“Earlier jute was the country’s number one export item, but due to lack of proper look after and negligence this sector has been almost ruined. Now leather industry, which is the country’s second largest export earning industry and Bangladesh meets a significant portion of the global demand, cannot be let go in chaotic and crucial situation,” also read the writ petition.
“Taking advantage of the unstable situation of the market unscrupulous hide traders with the assistance of some broker might smuggle out the raw hides in neighbouring countries, hence to save the rawhides traders there is no alternative to form a specific guideline in respect of the collection process of the rawhides from the seasonal, small traders and sellers in more effective, fair and transparent way so that the orphans, poor and deservers get proper benefits,” the petition read. – Staff Reporter
