“Better late than never and if not by the FCS&CA department but by Deputy Commissioners the market checking has been revived obviously under the instructions of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir”
Market checking which used to be the domain of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department is now after a break of more than one and a half year being virtually overtaken by Deputy Commissioners who amid high pitch noises against price rise are deputing market checking squads to contain the prices of essential commodities particularly vegetables and fruits in the holy month of Ramadan. With FCS&CA department refusing to do the job of market checking with the claim that no law governs it to do so the Deputy Commissioners in pressing circumstances amid increasing cries against price rise have revived the practices of market checking after a gap of more than one and a half year obviously under the instructions of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir. At last Divisional Commissioner Kashmir has revived the market checking practices through Deputy Commissioners Of Valley districts to bring long awaited relief and respite to the hapless populations of Kashmir in the holy month of Ramadan. Well said it is that better late than never and if not by the FCS&CA department but by Deputy Commissioners the market checking has been revived obviously under the instructions of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir. Notably the enforcement wing of the Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs in Kashmir established decades ago exists even today but it is not working for the purpose it was established despite the fact that this wing of the directorate performed the job of market checking till last year. In a short span of few days much has been done by the Deputy Commissioners to keep the rising prices of essential commodities under control in Valley districts but still some measures for containing the prices of meat, poultry chicken and vegetables deserve immediate attention and intervention of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir for the purposes of making market checking an all time price control activity in the districts across Kashmir.
“The actions of deputy commissioners to contain the prices of essential commodities have one again proved it beyond doubt that the will of the public functionaries to improve the delivery of services matters more than the power and authority given to them under law. For all practical purposes FCS& CA Department once called poor man’s department in Kashmir has lost the will to protect the rights of the consumers and in the process its functioning has been reduced just to distribute ration among BPL beneficiaries.”
While the price of meat has been hiked to Rs 650/- per kg and poultry chicken to over and above Rs 150 per kg during last one year, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir who otherwise also holds the position of chairman divisional price control committee needs to take a major decision to fix and enforce rates of meat and poultry chicken with the motive of disallowing the retailers to hike the prices of mutton and chicken on their own. Keeping in view the growing tendency of retailers to sell essential commodities on exorbitant rates to consumers the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir needs to take an early call on enforcing official rates of mutton and chicken in the markets across Kashmir. The actions of deputy commissioners to contain the prices of essential commodities have one again proved it beyond doubt that the will of the public functionaries to improve the delivery of services matters more than the power and authority given to them under law. For all practical purposes FCS& CA Department once called poor man’s department in Kashmir has lost the will to protect the rights of the consumers and in the process it’s functioning has been reduced just to distribute ration among BPL benefiaries.
