By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Apr. 12: The government has fined at least eight shops, mostly dealing in meat, foods and cooking gas, on charge of unethical business practices in the last two weeks.
The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection has taken action against two meat shops and six gas and grocery shops operating within the Kathmandu Valley within the period of lockdown after the monitoring teams found them selling goods at high prices to the consumers, said Rabindra Acharya, director of the department.
The department has also given continuity to market monitoring activities inside and outside the valley during the lockdown to ease the supply of essential goods following soaring demand in fear of COVID-19.
The department has inspected more than two dozen retail shops related to cooking gas, foods and meat shops over the period of lockdown to control artificial price hikes of goods as traders seek to charge high price for windfall gain in crisis, he said.
The department has been inspecting around 5-7 shops on a daily basis during the lockdown period after it received complaints about price hike of meat and other commodities, Acharya told The Rising Nepal.
The department fines ranged from Rs 5,000 to Rs 300,000 per shop based on their faults on the spot, he said.
The department fined Rs 200,000 each to I Kalu Meat Centre of New Baneshwor and Muskan Meat Shop of Battishputali.
He said that the monitoring team took action against meat shops that they were selling meat at high rates taking advantage of the crisis.
“We found that the I Kalu Meat Centre was selling goat meat at Rs 1,800 per kilogram,” he said.
Likewise, the department fined Rs 300,000 to New BK Store of Bafal and Rs 200,000 to Chitwan Food Suppliers of Sitapaila on charge of irregularities in business.
The department fined Rs. 5,000 to Shree Deep Store of Kalopul, Rs 200,000 to Om Sharaswoti Store (with gas outlet) of Dallu and Rs 20,000 to Dhana Laxmi Clod Store of Balambu.
“Our team found that Om Sharaswati Store sold half-filled gas cylinder at Rs 1,600 per cylinder,” he said.
Muna Gas Store of Sunar Gaun has been fined Rs 10,000 by the department on charge of selling gas at high price.
He said that the department was investigating into a gas outlet of Mathatirtha which sold gas to consumers at Rs 4,500 per cylinder.
Before the lockdown, the department had focused on surgical suppliers and medicine shops. But now, it has focused on retail shops of foods, gas and meat.
The department has introduced a mobile application ‘Consumer Rights Management Information System’ to address the problem of needy people who are facing problem to receive cooking gas, foods and other essential items due to the lockdown.

“People can inform us calling at toll free number 1137 if they are facing problem of foods and other essential commodities and also being cheated from the traders,” Acharya said.
The government has threatened the suppliers and traders that it would take action if anyone was found selling masks and other medicines and surgical items at higher rates than the market price.
“Nobody has allowed cheating the consumers. So the traders should do business following the business ethics. I request all the people to inform the concerned bodies if you are cheated by the traders,” he said.