9,500 businesses fined over undelivered goods, services

The Directorate of National Consumers' Right Protection (DNCRP) has fined more than 9,500 business establishments over the past 20 months for failing to deliver promised goods or services to customers.

Tahmina Begum, assistant director of the training section of the DNCRP, disclosed the figures today during her presentation at a workshop on the Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009, for journalists at the DNCRP conference room in Karwan Bazar, Dhaka.

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More than 8,500 establishments were fined for failing to display price lists, she said at the event organised by the DNCRP.

In addition, more than 8,400 establishments were fined for selling expired goods and medicines, while more than 8,300 faced penalties for manufacturing through illegal processes.

More than 7,200 establishments were fined for failing to use packaging. The DNCRP also penalised more than 3,100 establishments for selling goods above fixed prices and more than 1,800 for mixing banned substances into food items, she said.

According to Tahmina, 24,223 establishments were fined through 11,148 market drives in fiscal year 2023-24, with the department collecting Tk 19.80 crore in penalties.

In fiscal 2024-25, 26,297 establishments faced legal action through 12,882 drives, generating Tk 18.81 crore in fines.

The number of drives rose further in fiscal 2025-26, with 14,279 operations bringing 27,243 establishments under action and generating Tk 24.27 crore in fines.

In the current fiscal year, 2026-27, 4,092 drives have been carried out as of August 31, with 3,629 establishments facing action.

Md Jahirul Islam, director general of the DNCRP, said although online fraud has been on the rise, the existing Consumer Rights Protection Act, 2009 does not explicitly cover digital commerce, prompting a proposal to amend the law and bring e-commerce under its purview.

The department takes action against online complaints whenever specific evidence is available, he said, but a lack of documentation often makes it difficult to proceed in many cases.

The proposal to amend the law has been sent to the commerce ministry and is currently under review. Once passed, it would allow authorities to place greater emphasis on regulating digital transactions.

Large businesses remain under the department's watch as well, Jahirul said, adding that penalising offenders is not the department's ultimate goal -- protecting consumer rights is.

Sebastin Rema and Atia Sultana, directors of the DNCRP, and Hasan Hafiz, president of the National Press Club, were among those present at the event.