KATHMANDU: It was just a year ago when Parbati Thapa Karki, a local resident in Bhimsengola, celebrated the Dashain in style with a total expense of around Rs 15,000. The amount was more than enough for the family of four.

And now, with barely a month remaining for this year’s Dashain, Parbati is already frantic with worry as how to cope with the problem resulted due to the skyrocketing market prices.

“Perhaps, shopping for this year’s Dashain will see a drastic cut as the prices of essential commodities continues to rise,” says the 42-year-old housewife. She just typifies middle-class families facing a tough time.

She still reminisces how she managed last year with Rs 5,000 on a castrated he-goat, Rs 3,000 on offering with Tika, Rs 4,000 on foodstuff and Rs 3,000 on clothing for her two children.

“But things have changed. Rs 15,000 is too less an amount now,” she adds.

Statistics show that the market prices of essential commodities went up by 40 per cent this year as compared to last year, making it difficult for people with not-so-bad income to survive. The existing law has enlisted rice, pulses, bitten rice, sugar, edible oil, fruits and vegetables, meat, LPG gas, petrol, diesel, kerosene and the like as essential commodities. However, authorities concerned are doing a little to enforce the law and control market price in the festive seasons.

The government recently raided a dozen of godowns in the Valley for hoarding food items which resulted into fuelling price rise in the market. But, the market intervention proved to be an eyewash for gullible consumers as the authorities failed to book unscrupulous traders and importers.

“The alleged black marketeers walked free merely because we don’t have that law which can clearly define the hoarding. The government Acts and Regulations have not precisely stated the amount of food items and time duration of warehousing which may be punishable by law,” reasoned Kamal Bahadur Thapa, a market monitoring official at Department of Commerce, adding that the government was all set to amend the Consumer Protection Act- 1997 to properly address the issue.

He also informed that DoC, in association with Salt Trading Corporation, National Trading Corporation and Nepal Food Corporation, was doing groundwork to intensify the food supply throughout the country hoping that it would help cut the price, albeit little. “We’re planning to summon a joint meeting of traders, importers, wholesalers, retailers, consumer activists and government officials next week in this regard. The meeting will help us find the ways of giving respite to the consumers from food shortage and price rise,” said Thapa.

Dr Khila Nath Bastakoty, director at DoC said the government would import to required amount of sugar, edible oil and pulses as a part of market intervention.

“We aren’t entrusted with responsibility of fixing price in other goods including fruits and vegetables. However, the government is considering to import potato in festive season as it is less perishable than other vegetables,” informed Dr Bastakoty. Meanwhile, DoC is also going to intensify the monitoring of price-list in shops, which it wants the shops to put up in distinctly visible place.