Even after that, businessmen are using the chemical to lure the consumers into buying the products. What a deplorable lack of social conscience! As long as they make hefty profits, nothing else seems to matter to them. But the worrying thing is adulteration is not a new phenomenon. Another report says that a chemical named calcium carbide is also being used to 'hasten the process of ripening fruits' in old Dhaka. Sadly, there is none to check these gross violations. Adulteration is a highly culpable offence, no better than murders. But the violators would only get caught if concerned authorities pulled up their socks.

Newspapers have been publishing reports on such criminal practices since the beginning of the season, but to no avail. We have not heard of any punitive action taken against anybody so far? We have to realise that human lives are being put at grave risk only for some monetary gains. And that surely is a serious legal offence. We wonder where have Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute and the Food Department gone? Shouldn't it be their responsibility to check such gross violations of consumers' rights? It's about time we had an authority with clearly defined terms of reference to deal with such irregularities that seem to have plagued our society.