By Laxman Kafle
Kathmandu, Oct. 7: The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DCSCP) has started market monitoring in the Kathmandu Valley by mobilising 10 teams targeting the festival season to control sale and distribution of inedible foodstuffs and black marketing.
“We have mobilised 10 different teams as a special taskforce to carry out market inspection in the Kathmandu Valley at present. Subject-wise teams have been formed to ease market inspection,” said Rabindra Acharya, spokesperson at the DCSCP.
Earlier, around four-five teams were mobilised for market monitoring inside the Kathmandu Valley.
According to him, they have mobilised teams based on geography and items of goods in the Kathmandu Valley to control black marketing, sale and distribution of inedible foodstuffs, escalating prices, quality, adulteration and distribution as well as sale of date-expired foodstuffs.
At least one team each would be mobilised in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur and seven in Kathmandu district a day.
Inside Kathmandu district, the department has mobilised separate teams to Chabahil, Koteshwor and Kapan area, Maharajgunj-Budhanilkantha area, Tokha, Balaju and Kalanki area and New Road and Ason area.
Under the subject-wise teams, the department formed separate monitoring teams focusing on food items, including rice, oil, pulses and sugar, clothes, fish and meat, fruits and vegetables, medicines and petroleum products.
According to Acharya, the department has trained the employees sent by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and mobilised them in monitoring. The government had sent additional employees to intensify the market monitoring targeting the upcoming festivals.
“The teams have been inspecting more than 25 firms and shops on a daily basis for the last few days inside the Kathmandu Valley. Market inspection officer can take action against the wrongdoers on the spot if they are engaged in irregularities,” he told The Rising Nepal on Tuesday.
Besides, the department has been monitoring the market outside the Kathmandu Valley in an aggressive manner in collaboration with various authorities, including District Administration Offices, state and local governments, Acharya said.
For strengthening market monitoring across the country, the department has appointed market inspection officers for all District Administration Offices and also trained them online to enhance their capacities in monitoring and follow the rules while inspecting the market.
He said that the department would cooperate with local administration to strengthen the monitoring activities across the country.
According to him, the department has trained the market inspectors of state-1 and is also training the market inspectors of Bagmati State at present.
He said that the market was flooded with a large number of date-expired products as an impact of the five-month-long lockdown.
He said that mutual efforts were being made among the federal, state and local governments to make the market clean by discouraging traders to engage in unhealthy and irregular business.