Kathmandu, August 23

The market monitoring team from the Department of Supply Management and Consumer Protection — the only authorised market monitoring body of the government — today monitored shops selling daily essentials and initiated action against those not abiding by the prevailing laws.

Pharmaceutical stores, meat houses, grocery shops and gas dealers were monitored today. The DoSMCP, under the Ministry of Supply (MoS), has regularised its market monitoring from August 15. The market monitoring team seized and destroyed date-expired products, products without labels and goods that were not properly stored, according to a statement issued by MoS today.

The monitoring team destroyed 83 kg meat from Ma Bhagawati Store in Nayabazar as the meat house was found to be selling non-hygienic meat to the consumers. The monitoring team also seized 13 pads of fake bills from Chicken Hut Meat Shop of Nayabazar. The firm was using plain bills without Permanent Account Number (PAN).

It is mandatory for businesses to issue PAN or Value Added Tax (VAT) bills as per the size of their annual transactions. Firms, which have annual transaction of over Rs five million in goods and Rs two million in service, must be registered under VAT as per tax laws.

Similarly, New Gorkhali Fresh House of Nayabazar was also found to be selling non-hygienic meat and the monitoring team disposed 19 kg frozen meat from there.

The team also inspected pharmaceutical stores in Koteshwor and Gwarko area. The monitoring team seized narcotics from Jimas Pharmacy of Koteshwor. Sale of narcotics is banned in the country.

The monitoring team also inspected Bir Pharmacy located at B and B Hospital in Gwarko. The pharmacy was found to be not complying with the government rules set for pharmacies. As per the rules, pharmacies must display the price of 96 types of drugs listed by the government, as per the statement.

The DoSMCP seized the products without labels from a dozen groceries at Makhantol and sealed Siddhibinayak Khadya Store of Tinthana on the charge of selling date-expired food products.

The monitoring team has sealed three gas dealers as the monitoring team found the weight of empty cylinders to be significantly higher than the standard set by the government. The monitoring team has sealed Triveni Gas Collection Centre, Koteshwor; Energetic Trading House, Lalitpur and Siddhartha Gas Collection Centre of Balkumari, according to the statement.

‘Don’t frighten businesspersons’

Rastriya Samachar Samiti

Kathmandu, August 23

In the wake of the concentrated market monitoring by the government, the business community has urged the government not to terrify businesspersons in the name of market monitoring.

At an interaction organised by Nepal Chamber of Commerce in the Capital today, the representatives from Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Nepalese Industry, and the Chamber itself suggested the government to make the market monitoring more practical. They expressed concern over the insulting behaviour meted out against the businesspersons.

FNCCI President Pashupati Murarka said, “Traders shouldn’t be treated as criminals or be insulted.”

Chairman of NCC, Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, said the officials mobilised for monitoring should have proper knowledge of monitoring process and rule.

Following the complaints, Secretary at Ministry of Supply, Shreedhar Acharya, made it clear that government never misbehaves with private sector players. The market monitoring was aimed at taking action against those violating ethics of fair trade. However, any government official insulting business persons won’t be spared, he added.