Consumers call for regular market monitoring

By Our Correspondent,Rukum West, Sept. 22: Stakeholders of Rukum West have stressed on the need of regular and effective market monitoring to prevent artificial price hikes and shortage of daily essential goods. 

During the discussion on festival target market monitoring organised by the Directorate of Industry and Consumer Protection, Birendranagar, Surkhet at the District Administration Office on Saturday, the stakeholders stressed on the need of result-oriented market monitoring to control artificial price hikes during the festival.

President of Rukum Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pal Bahadur Khadka emphasised that there should be regular and corrective monitoring rather than mere rhetoric. 

He said that businesses that violate the rules must be brought under the law along with awareness programmes to prevent acts that violate the rights of consumers in the name of business.

Chief of the Animal Hospital and Animal Services Office Gyanu Kumar Sharma said that the shops selling milk and meat products are not operated following the standards.

He said that chicken meat is consumed in large quantities in the district, but it is sold using antibiotics. 

Sharma said that there are complaints from the consumers that the meat shops are selling goat meat with sheep meat mixed.

Ramesh Oli, chief of Industry and Consumer Protection Office, said that awareness and promotion programmes are given priority and businessmen who violate the rules are also fined. 

He said that the quality of consumables is improved through regular monitoring and the legal process is also being completed.  Chief District Officer Hari Prasad Panta said that the demand for effective monitoring is justified and said that it is necessary to conduct awareness programmes.

As the concerned bodies and manpower to assess the quality of consumables and products are not available in the district, they are forced to measure the quality of the goods with the naked eye, he said. 

He emphasised that joint and regular monitoring should be done in coordination with all agencies.

Director of Industry and Consumer Protection Directorate, Surkhet, Padmalal Lamichhane said that there was a need to be aware of the activities that may affect the health of consumers in the market during the festival than other times. 

Lamichhane said that effective market monitoring should be done to ensure easy supply of food, vegetables, meat and other consumer goods brought to the district for the festival, to prevent artificial shortages, price hikes and black market and to protect consumers from being cheated.

Meanwhile, the market monitoring team has also monitored various shops in the district headquarters. 

During the monitoring, various items that had expired and were not up to the standard were seized and destroyed from some shops located in Musikot Municipality 1 and 5.