Bazardor Battles: Youth's App Challenges Market Syndicates, Faces Threats
Artificial price hikes of essential goods — the oily oil tricks, the egg-related absurdities, the teary spice scandals — are unfortunately nothing new in Bangladesh. Just when public frustration over soaring daily commodity prices reaches a boiling point, a young innovator comes forward with a novel initiative to challenge the market syndicates. Using technology, he creates an app to bridge producers, sellers, and consumers. This Android application is called Bazardor.
Designed to assist citizens in learning the fair market prices of essential goods, the app also aims to play a key role in curbing market manipulation. Recognizing its potential, the caretaker government has already decided to release the app to the public. The Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) is set to officially launch Bazardor on June 23. Since its preliminary listing on the Google Play Store on April 23, the app has been gaining momentum, earning a 3+ rating and already witnessing thousands of downloads.
However, instead of being celebrated, the app’s developer, Md. Ibrahim Molla, has found himself in serious trouble. A student of Computer Science and Engineering at Daffodil Institute of IT (DIIT), Ibrahim is now facing threats to his life for developing the app. On June 15, he filed a General Diary (GD) with Shahbagh Police Station in the capital, providing evidence of the harassment. The GD number is 727.
According to the GD, on the afternoon of June 12, an unknown email address sent Ibrahim abusive messages along with direct threats to kill him. Not only that, repeated attempts were made to force him to remove the app from the Google Play Store. At one point, the developer account was temporarily suspended, but after submitting valid documentation, Ibrahim managed to restore it on June 11.
Following this, Ibrahim decided to donate the app to the Government of Bangladesh completely free of charge — without expecting any remuneration or financial benefit.
What Does the Bazardor App Offer?
Through the Bazardor app, the government-fixed maximum rational retail prices of essential goods will be delivered directly to citizens’ mobile screens. It also supports offline access, allowing users to view previously fetched data without an internet connection.
Weighing less than 10 MB, the app is designed with simplicity in mind. “I designed the interface in such a way that even users unfamiliar with apps can navigate it easily,” said Ibrahim.
Empowering Farmers, Weakening Syndicates
The most significant impact of the app is expected to be on farmers and small traders, who have long been victimized by middlemen and wholesale syndicates. Farmers will now be aware of the urban market prices for their produce and can negotiate with brokers accordingly. As a result, intermediaries will no longer be able to make excessive profits. Similarly, consumers will have access to verified price ceilings, making it difficult for local extortionists and dishonest traders to artificially inflate prices.
Obstacles and Death Threats
This groundbreaking initiative has already rattled vested interest groups. It is believed that on June 10, a powerful group misled Google into suspending the app’s Play Store account by spending a substantial amount of money. Their financial interests are directly threatened by this app. However, Ibrahim successfully appealed and had the account reinstated the very next day, on June 11.
Angered by this failure, an anonymous entity sent a death threat to Ibrahim via email on June 12. He has since filed a GD at Shahbagh Police Station and stated, “I am not afraid. With the support of the people and law enforcement, I am ready to move forward.”
A New Horizon in the Hands of a Young Innovator
According to the young innovator, Bazardor is more than just a mobile app; it represents a vision for transparency and accountability in Bangladesh’s market system. He believes the app will empower farmers, inform consumers, and aid policymakers in making data-driven decisions. “This app has the potential to dismantle market syndicates and establish a fair, sustainable economic structure across the country,” said Ibrahim.
He suspects that donating the Bazardor app to the government without any financial return has earned him the enmity of certain vested quarters. In Bangladesh, such tech-based initiatives are typically executed through high-budget tenders. Some syndicates have long exploited this system, embezzling millions from the public treasury through rigged contracts. By offering Bazardor to the government at no cost, Ibrahim fears he has jeopardized their long-standing scheme.
