Illegal profiteering and black marketing when noticed even at the retail outlets of vegetables and fruits in the holy month of Ramadan indicate that retailers don’t bother to fleece the gullible customers even in this holy month. Unfortunately the people find both the retailers and as well as the market checking squads of the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS& CA) Department obliged to discharge the responsibility of regulating the prices of essential commodities developing an unholy nexus just to fleece the customers under broad day light. Ironically even vendors running illegally their fruit and vegetable outlets on the roadsides of Parimpora and Panthachowk bypass highways are seen selling vegetables and fruits at exorbitant rates. The issue of price rise has this time attracted huge public concern not due to closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway but only because of increasing greed for money shown by the vendors running outlets of vegetables and fruits on roadsides of Highways at Parimpora and Panthachowk. What hurts the people is the fact that market checking squads of FCS& CA Department are invisible in the market across Kashmir and consequently the enforcement of price control measures to combat the forces of black marketing and illegal profiteering has been reduced to crude joke in Kashmir. Unfortunately authorities of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS &CA) Department entrusted the responsibility of keeping prices of essential commodities in control choose to remain confined to their offices the time when they are supposed to visit the markets for controlling the prices of essential commodities in both urban and rural areas of Kashmir valley. What matters the most is the fact that the authorities of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS &CA) Department have set a bad trend in regulating prices of essential commodities in Kashmir as they depute market checking squads to markets for the regulation of prices of essential commodities in cities and towns only during peak winter months when movement of supplies is suspended due to shutting down of Srinagar-Jammu Highway and stop visiting markets immediately after partial restoration of the transportation of essential commodities on Jammu-Srinagar highway.
“To combat forces of black marketing and illegal profiteering it is imperative for the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department to put into place proper price control measures in Kashmir valley during holy month of Ramadan. Quick response of the FCS& CA (Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs) department Kashmir to the rising prices of essential commodities in the ongoing holy month of Ramadan is by all standards of understandabilities the only way to combat increasing illegal profiteering and black marketing in the ongoing holy month of Ramadan as otherwise it is no use to send market checking squads to markets days before the commencement of Eid-Ul-Fitr”.
Unfortunately black marketing and illegal profiteering goes unnoticed the time when such practices need to be curbed with a heavy hand. To combat forces of black marketing and illegal profiteering it is imperative for the Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department to put into place proper price control measures in Kashmir valley during holy month of Ramadan. Quick response of the FCS& CA (Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs) department Kashmir to the rising prices of essential commodities in the ongoing holy month of Ramadan is by all standards of understandabilities the only way to combat increasing illegal profiteering and black marketing in the ongoing holy month of Ramadan as otherwise it is no use to send market checking squads to markets days before the commencement of Eid-Ul-Fitr .
