September 25: The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection has intensified market monitoring in the wake of approaching festivals.
The department monitored 272 firms last week. A team of inspectors mobilized by the department fined Rs 200,000 to a department store in Madhyapur Thimi, Bhaktapur on Wednesday. The department fined the store after the store changed the standards, price and weigh of the goods by violating the rules. Similarly, the team on Thursday fined Rs 200,000 to a grocery shop located at Imadol of Lalitpur after it was found that the shop was cheating consumers.
A total of 844 firms have monitored in the current fiscal year since July 17, among which 175 firms have been fined. A total of Rs 3.531 million revenue has been collected from the fine.
Inedible goods worth Rs 2.399 million have been destroyed during the inspection, according to the department. The monitoring team has urged shops to keep their registration document updated and display the price list and registration certificates which the consumers can see easily. The firms facing action has been instructed to be present at the department along with their sales bill.
Ten monitoring teams of the department monitored groceries, vegetable and fruit shops, pharmacies, fresh houses, liquor store, dairy, cosmetic stores and sweet shops.
Director at the Department, Hari Pangeni, said that they have intensified market monitoring so that the consumers would not be cheated when buying goods during the festivals.
Meanwhile, organisations working for the rights of the consumers shared that the government has not been able to carry out market monitoring effectively.
Chairperson of Consumer Rights Research Forum, Madhav Timilsina, shared that the government mechanism had not been able to carry out effective works in order to protect and promote consumer rights. He said that the consumers are being cheated in different pretexts in the market as the government has no clear data of supply and consumption of daily essentials. -- RSS
