Kathmandu, September 28

The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumers Protection (DoCSCP) has taken action against 105 traders, who were found to be fleecing consumers, in the last one month.

The department had inspected a total of 221 shops and companies between August 18 and September 17.

Of them, 105 companies were penalised a total of Rs 1.3 million for selling low-quality products, inflating the price of products, for not having required documents and being involved in other unethical practices.

Likewise, the department has halted the transaction of 42 companies, while others have been either directed to improve their activities or to submit clarification letters to the department along with the required documents as soon as possible, said Yogendra Gauchan, director general of DoCSCP.

“With the festive season on the doorstep, the government has intensified market monitoring and it is more effective this year,” he said.

Gauchan, however, acknowledged that market monitoring outside the Valley has not been as effective due to lack of human resources.

The department has long been saying that there is lack of technical human resources to conduct market monitoring activities. The government has faced difficulties in deploying adequate number of monitoring teams, especially in the rural areas, due to lack of skilled manpower.

Under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, DoCSCP, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, Department of Livestock Development, Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology and other concerned authorities are conducting market monitoring at the moment.

This year, the local governments have also started conducting market inspection.

Prior to this, the district divisional offices of the respective departments used to conduct market monitoring during the

festive season.

A meeting of the Central Market Monitoring Committee held on August 30 had directed all the concerned authorities to begin market monitoring aiming to regulate the market for the festive season.