Biratnagar, October 15

The local government is silent even though black marketing has become rampant. The price of everything, from readymade clothes to food materials, has gone up in Biratnagar.

The people’s representatives, who were given the responsibility of monitoring the market, have paid no attention to the need to curb rampant black marketing in Biratnagar metropolis. Consumers Protection Act 2018, Local Government Operation Act 2017 and Market Monitoring Directives 2017 have given the responsibility of monitoring the market to the local government.

The responsibility was mainly given to the deputy chiefs of rural municipalities and municipalities. The two acts and one

directive have also given ward chairs the right to monitor the market. However, a monitoring committee is yet to be formed and in the absence of such a panel, black marketing has increased in the metropolis.

The Consumer Protection Act has given authority to the locally formed market monitoring committee to slap fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to 3 lakh.

Consumer Protection Forum central Vice-chair Krishna Prasad Bhandari Marsheli said people’s representatives did not show interest in monitoring the market. Advocating consumer rights, Marsheli said market monitoring could not be carried out due to lack of coordination between people’s representatives and staffers in Biratnagar. He said people were facing problems due to the silence of the responsible body. “Biratnagar metropolis is yet to form a market monitoring committee,” he said.

Deputy Mayor of Biratnagar metropolis Indira Karki said preparations to form the market monitoring was under way.