KATHMANDU, Sept 16: With the festive season just around the corner, the government has stepped up market monitoring to ensure that the customers are not cheated by traders. The Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection under the Federal Government has intensified its market monitoring initiative.
While the department conducts market monitoring throughout the year, special attention is given during festivals due to the suspicion that the traders may swindle customers during the festivals when the consumption of goods is high.
According to the department, it took action against 150 shops in the past 7 days. These shops faced various actions during market monitoring from September 3 to September 11.
On September 3, the monitoring team took action against 21 shops. These actions included imposing cash fines, requesting necessary documents, and issuing directives. On September 4, altogether 22 shops faced action. September 5 saw action taken against 28 shops, followed by 28 shops on September 7, 24 shops on September 8, 26 shops on September 10, and 25 shops on September 11.
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The officials of the department said that actions were taken against various types of businesses including food grains shops, grocery shops, mini marts, electrical shops, dairies, restaurants, ready-made and clothing shops and gold and silver shops. The department focused its monitoring efforts on places where daily consumer goods are sold and distributed.
During inspections in these places, the department identified issues like sale of impure food items, missing documents, and traders not displaying price lists. According to the department, it is important to maintain proper records and bills.
The department has also said that it is closely monitoring businesses that avoid disclosing the purchase price of goods and attempt to hide their profits. When businesses are found to be making excessive profits and engaging in black marketing, they have to face cash penalties. The department can also seek documents and issue instructions, or even temporarily close the shops that do not comply with the rules.
The officials said that they are monitoring the market for the Teej festival and will continue the work at the same pace until the Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festivals.
A report released by the department last month shows that the prices of all food items have increased before the start of the festivals. As the festive season approaches, the consumption of daily consumer goods increases, leading to price hikes in both wholesale and retail markets.
Janai Purnima and Teej are two major festivals of Nepal followed by Dashain, Tihar and Chhath. Half of some items consumed throughout the year are consumed during this period, and businesses experience increased demand. The department said that the traders arbitrarily increase the price due to the high demand and under other various pretexts.
The department's latest study shows price hikes of various food items. For instance, the prices of rice, a staple for Nepalis, have increased by Rs 100 to 200 per bag. Sugar prices have seen a moderate increase, while oil prices have remained stable. Prices of peas have increased by 20 to 30 percent per kilogram, while that of flour has increased by Rs 10 per kilogram.
The main reason for the increase in the price of rice is the restriction on supplies from India. When India imposes a ban on rice exports, it also affects Nepal. The Department of Commerce has stated that they will regulate the market through vigilant monitoring.
