By A Staff Report
Kathmandu, Jan. 23: The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DoCSCP) has intensified market monitoring after voices were raised from every corner against the skyrocketing price of edible oil in the local market.
According to the department, it has taken action against above a dozen food and groceries and two oil manufacturing companies in a week after they were found involved in hiking the price unnecessarily.
Netra Prasad Subedi, director general of DoCSCP, said that they fined Rs. 30,000 each to Mahalaxmi Solvent and Refinery Pvt. Ltd and Annapurna Vegetable Private Limited of Bara district.
The two companies faced the action on the basis of the differences in the raw material import price, cost and sale price submitted to the customs, he said.
Similarly, the Department took action and fined Rs. 250,000 to Shree Bhandari Store of Nagarjun Municipality-4, Kathmandu, for committing similar irregularities.
“After receiving complaints from the people that the price of cooking oil had skyrocketed in the market, the department has intensified the market monitoring to control artificial price hike of goods,” he said.
The team is also monitoring hardware shops inside the Kathmandu Valley and other districts after people complained that the price of construction materials went up unusually in the market.
The department took action against a dozen hardware shops and fined them as per their faults, he said.
Spokesperson of the DoCSCP Shivaraj Sedai said that the department was also investigating into the activities of two oil manufacturing companies even after directing them to correct their mistakes.
He said that the two companies had fixed the selling price of oil adding Rs.30 extra in the raw material import and production costs. He said that they would take further action against the two businesses if they were found committing additional faults.
The department monitored about 60 businesses, including groceries and the shops selling foods, construction materials, hardware, liquor and furniture in all three districts of the Kathmandu Valley in a week.