Due to lack of proper monitoring, many stores in the eastern part of the country have been arbitrarily raising the prices of essential commodities. In many cases, it was also found that stores had raised prices of products by making false claims of decline in supply.
To rein in such illegal activities, commerce offices in Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa, Saptari, Siraha, Bhojpur and Panchthar have already directed retail outlets in the respective districts to display price lists. In many of these places, commerce offices have also sought help of local administration to exert pressure on retail stores to display price lists.
"We have directed retail outlets to display prices of essential commodities. But commerce offices cannot achieve its goal of bringing the prices under control unless it receives cooperation from all," Jay Prasad Ghimire, chief of Biratnagar Commerce Office, told myrepublica.com. "We need support of everyone from the police, standards and metrology office, to entrepreneurs."
During the course of market monitoring some days ago, commerce office in Phidim Bazar had found weighing machines at many retail outlets tampered. District Administration Office, Panchthar, has initiated a process to call officials of standards and metrology office to look into the matter.
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