PM asks people to refrain from buying excessive goods

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the people to refrain from buying excessive goods after being panicked, saying categorically that the country has adequate stock of food grains, BSS repports.

In this connection, the prime minister said there should be a strong vigilance both from the authorities concerned and the people so that none can hoard essential goods cashing on the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“Hiking the price of essential commodities by excessive unnecessary purchasing after being panicked is a ‘garhita’ (reproachable) act … all will have to abstain from it,” she said.

The prime minister said this while talking to reporters after casting her vote in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) by-polls to Dhaka-10 constituency at Dhaka City College this morning.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, said: “We’re observing that being frightened, some people are storing foods after purchasing those excessively.”

“But I want to say clearly that we’ve no problem of foods … we’ve adequate stock of food grains. So there is no need to buy excessive goods after being panicked.”

The premier said she has already held meetings with the finance minister, finance secretary and the Bangladesh Bank governor in this regard.

“We’ve an ability to purchase foods for the next one year through the reserve we have. So there is no reason to be worried to this end,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said there are 17 lakh metric tons of food grains in the government warehouses apart from 3:50 lakh MT wheat.

“Besides there are a huge quantity of food grains in the private rice mills. So I would like to request all to buy goods (essential) that are necessary for them,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the prices of essential commodities soar if markets  witness a pressure due to purchasing of excessive goods by the people.

She said those who have enough money can buy goods in huge quantity. But the common people and the people with limited income don’t have such a capability to purchase commodities in big amount, she added. “So there is no right of anybody to inflict pain to others,” she went on saying.

Citing an example, the prime minister said: “I’ve watched (on television) that a person said she bought 30 kgs of salt. I don’t know he will consume that salt on how many days.”

Sheikh Hasina said earlier many people purchased a huge quantity of onion when its price surged. “But they had to dump in the garbage as the onion was rotten,” she said.

The prime minister said the people should remain careful alongside the government so that none can hoard essential commodities in view of the coronavirus outbreak. “I’ll tell the common people to keep a strong vigil in this regard,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said it is not proper to create pressure on the market by purchasing goods excessively. “We want everybody to lead a normal life …we’re the people of Bangladesh and we’ve soil and everything,” she said.

The prime minister said the government has taken necessary measures to keep the country free from the deadly coronavirus.

“We had taken measures immediately when the virus broke out in China. We brought back our 315 students from China and released them after keeping them in quarantine for 14 days,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said those returning from abroad are being examined at the airports and land ports. “If anybody is suspected to be infected with the virus, he or she is being sent to quarantine,” she said.

The premier said the health department and the IEDCR remain alert and are conducting research to check the lethal virus in the country.

“We’re taking steps so that the people stay careful and in this case, we can say that Bangladesh remains comparatively better,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the government has specified a number of hospitals to treat the coronavirus-infected patients. “We’ve also made arrangements for the safety of the physicians, nurses and others working in the hospitals,” she said.

“We’re importing and also producing masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) locally for the doctors and nurses. We’re continuing to procure whatever necessary for them,” she said.

The prime minister said the government is carrying out campaign through television, radio and other medium to alert the people about the deadly virus.

“I hope that the countrymen will abide by the instructions,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the government has imposed a ban on gathering of the people to protect them from the virus.

“We’ve postponed many programmes taken to celebrate Bangabandhu’s birth centenary, and through this, you can realise that how much importance we have given to the public safety and health,” she said.