Fine in tune of fifty thousand rupees realised from erring dealers in the district during the ongoing drive: Assistant Director FCS&CA
Jahangir Lolabi
Kupwara, Oct 21 (GNS): Continuing with its market inspection drive for a month now, several squads of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Kashmir on Wednesday conducted checking of various markets in Kupwara.
Assistant Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Mudasir Ahmad told GNS that the drive has been going on for a month now as to keep a check on hoarding, profiteering and black marketing in the frontier district.
“We have been off and on receiving complaints against some unscrupulous dealers involved in selling of essential commodities on exorbitant prices to the common people in the district”, the official said adding “As such the department concerned swung into action to crack a whip against all such dealers”.
Inspections were conducted today across several markets in the district including Sogam, Lolab and other areas, during which, as per the official, several dealers were caught red-handed, prompting the inspecting teams to impose fine even as lodging cases against few of them.
A fine in tune of around thirty thousand, according to the official, were realised against the dealers involved in malpractices including illegal profiteering, hoarding and black marketing, the official said adding “We have also taken up at least ten cases under relevant sections of Essential Commodities Act.”
Maintaining that earlier action by the concerned department to levy fine against such dealers came of little help, the official said that “From a while now we are registering cases against such dealers under Essential Commodities Act as to set a strong precedence against such erring dealers.”
“A fine in tune of fifty thousand rupees has been realised during the ongoing drive so far and the department concerned is mulling to conduct more frequent and broader market checking drives in the district as to deter the dealers from illegal market practices”, the official said.
Meanwhile, the inspection teams in Sogam and Lolab were supervised by TSO Ehsan Ahmad assisted by his team. (GNS)
