Kathmandu, Nov 9 : Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection has slapped one- year imprisonment and fine against those involved in relabeling date-expired food items.    

According to the Department, action has been taken against them as they were arrested red- handed while sending the food stuffs again in the market after relabeling the date-expired food collecting them from the market. The Department had carried out market monitoring on October 1.    

Information Officer of the Department, Rabindra Acharya, said that one-year jail term and Rs 300,000 fine has been slapped against each owner of two companies.    

Action has been taken against Ronak Bothra of Rajasthan of India, owner of Ayan Distributors and Shankar Bayalkoti of Dhading, owner of Bishnu Laxmi Distributors.  

  
He said the license of the companies has been scrapped for two years. Similarly, Rs 312,000 fine has been slapped against seven people of Ayan Distributors—Pushpa Devi Agrawal, Munna Thakur, Pappu Kumar Thakur, Shyam Prasad Singh, Ram Bahadur Bayalkoti and Bikram Prasad Gupta each.  

  
According to the Department, the date expired food stuffs of around Rs 29.4 million seized by the Department in course of monitoring would be destroyed at presence of locals, police and people’s representatives.