The Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCSCA) department has intensified the market checking across Kashmir to regulate the government rates for mutton, chicken and other essential commodities.
The move comes days after Greater Kashmir carried a series of stories against overpricing of chicken, mutton by shopkeepers besides the failure of the department to regulate the rates of fruits and vegetables.
The FCSCA department in Baramulla sealed 28 chicken and mutton shops for violating the government rates. The checking squad also sealed outlets of six chicken dealers in the district as well. During the market inspection the checking squad imposed a fine of Rs 3300 on the erring shopkeepers under Essential Commodities Act 1955 for overpricing of chicken and mutton.
The erring shopkeepers and dealers were found selling chicken and mutton to consumers in violation of the rates fixed by the government.
The FCSCA department has tightened noose against the erring shopkeepers and warned them of action under law for resorting to black marketing and overpricing of essentials.
“The shopkeepers and dealers whose outlets have been sealed will have to give an undertaking before the magistrate that they will follow the government rates, otherwise their shops will continue to remain sealed,” assistant director FCSCA department Sheikh Tariq Ahmad said.
He said if the shopkeepers will become habitual offenders then they will be blacklisted and won’t be allowed to run their shops.
Notably, the government has fixed the rate of broiler chicken as Rs 125 while the rate of mutton has been fixed as Rs 500 has been fixed for Mutton per kilogram.
However, the erring chicken retailers are selling broilers at Rs 150 to Rs 160 while mutton is being sold at Rs 600 at several places.
While the department has woken up to regulate the government rate for Chicken and Mutton in Baramulla, the department has failed to activate the market checking quads in other districts.
The retailers continue to violate the government rates fixed for chicken and mutton in other districts.
“I purchased Chicken at Rs 150 per kilogram while meat is being sold at Rs 600 per Kg. There is no check on this Srinagar district. Despite violation by shopkeepers, the concerned authorities are in deep slumber,” said Muhammad Saquib, a resident of Khanyar.
Also, the FCSCA department has failed to regulate the rates of fruits and vegetables across Kashmir. The retailers and wholesalers are selling the essentials as per their own will thus violating the government fixed rates.
An official said the main obstruction to regulate the price of vegetables and fruits was the failure of the directorate to issue a rate list for the wholesalers.
“The rate list for retailers of vegetables and fruits was issued more than two months ago and since then it was not revised. The rate of vegetables and fruits changes on a weekly basis and the department is not able to control it,” an official of FCSCA department said.
Notably, the director FCSCA is competent to fix and issue the rate list of eatables under the Essential Commodities Act. However the directorate has failed to issue the revised list of the essentials leaving consumers at the receiving end. Meanwhile, the checking squads have also sealed two chicken shops in Budgam district for violating government approved rates.
The market inspection was also held in Anantnag district wherein the tem of officials from revenue, FCS&CA, police, municipality and other concerned departments conducted intensive market checking drives across the district. During the inspection, the shopkeepers were strictly instructed to adhere to the government approved rates.
Meanwhile, a team of officials headed by assistant director FCSCA department Mudasir Ahmed conducted market checking in various areas of the town.
During the inspection, the enforcement team lodged four FIRs against the erring shopkeepers for violating government approved rates. The erring shopkeepers were also imposed a fine of Rs 6000 by the checking squad for selling commodities on exorbitant rates.
In Ganderbal district, a team of market checking squad comprising of food safety department, revenue and CAPD on Saturday conducted extensive market checking of different areas of Kangan and Gund areas including Mammer, Ganiwan, Gund, Rayil, Kullan and Gagangeer. They imposed a fine of Rs 4700 on erring traders under various acts.