KATHMANDU, Oct 7: The government is intensifying market inspection ahead of the Tihar festival which begins after a fortnight.
It is sending four monitoring and inspection teams to different market areas of Kathmandu Valley from Sunday.
Kumar Prasad Dahal, director general of Department of Supply Management and Protection of Consumers Interest (DoSMPCI), said that they were intensifying market monitoring ahead of the festive season as unscrupulous traders become active during major festivals. “History shows black-market flourishes during festive season. We are taking needful measures to ensure that consumers are not fleeced by unscrupulous traders,” he added.
As demand for sweets rises during Tihar festival, the monitoring teams will focus on sweet shops, according to Dahal. “In the past years, we have found many sweet shops selling adulterated products, which are unfit for consumption, taking advantage of the festive season. That is why we are focusing on sweet shops,” he added.
The teams will also inspect food shops, dairy producers and clothing stores.
“Our teams will be active in major market areas. They will take needful action against shops selling unhygienic product and overcharging customers,” Dahal said. He also said that market inspection teams will move to different markets in Tarai area on Monday. “Representatives of local units will also join our teams,” he added.
In the past years, market inspectors had found sweet shops selling expired sweets and preparing sweets in an unhygienic manner, and clothing stores overcharging customers. “Such activities increases during festive seasons,” Dahal said. “Every year, we have been conducting market inspection and taking needful action against wrong-doers,” he added.
Ahead of the Dashain festival, which concluded recently, the government sealed four stores of branded goods, accusing them of overcharging customers.
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