Baitadi to emerge tough against black marketeering

BAITADI, Dec 15: The district administration here has decided to take stringent action against those involved in black marketeering and defrauding consumers. Even legal cases will be filed on the basis of severity of the fraud- violation of the Food Act and Regulations.

Assistant Chief District Officer Lokendra Singh Negi informed that four cases of fraud and black-marketeering were filed at the District Administration Office Baitadi in the current fiscal year. "Verdicts were delivered on two cases while two other cases are under consideration," he said, adding a sweet trader and a hotelier were fined Rs 5,000 each. Two other cases were also related to food stuff. 

During the market monitoring, 27 samples were collected among which seven were found non-standard after tests at a laboratory.

Negi further said four traders were fined on the spot with Rs 7,500 each during the joint market monitoring. The food stuffs worth nearly Rs 1 million but nonstandard were destroyed after market monitoring. 

The first round of market inspection was conducted in all local units except Shivanath Rural Municipality and Pancheshwar Rural Municipality. The monitoring will be given continuity within some days, said DAO, Baitadi. 

Meanwhile, a trader here destroyed expired drinks worth Rs 100 thousand on his own. Raghubir Thapa, doing business at Jhulaghat on Nepal-India border, destroyed the expired drinks. 

Chairman of Jhulaghat market management committee Lavadev Joshi informed RSS that the date for the use of many foodstuffs expired due to the long hoarding during lockdown.