“Unprecedented rise in the prices of essential commodities is haunting consumers the time when Eid Ul Fitr is just a day away and Navratra festival is to be celebrated just today”.
The practice of market checking by Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Department would always be intensified on the eve of Eid Ul Fitr and Eid Ul Adha in Kashmir Valley but unfortunately the department has put the market checking on suspension mode for more a year now and consequently the prices of essential commodities particularly meat, poultry chicken, vegetables, fruits and bakery products have sky rocketed to unimaginable heights. While the prices of mutton have moved to Rs 700 a kg amid no control over regulation of prices by FCS&CA Department, the poultry chicken are being sold over and above Rs 170 per Kg. Such an unprecedented rise in the prices of essential commodities is haunting consumers the time when just two days are left for Eid Ul Fitr and Navratra festival is to be celebrated just today. Though Lt Governor Manoj Sinha at a review meeting directed intensified market checking for the purposes of availability of essential commodities to consumers at the rates notified by the Government but with no collaboration of FCS&CA Department’s enforcement wing with the market checking squads constituted by Deputy Commissioners under the directions of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir the prices of essential commodities from meat to poultry chicken have sky rocketed unprecedentedly to unaffordable heights for the common consumers in Kashmir Valley. Usually consumers would go with the complaints about unauthorised rise in the prices of essential commodities to the officials of enforcement wing of the FCS&CA Department but with this wing of the department having been put on suspension mode neither the Secretary FCS&CA department nor the Directors of twin divisions of Kashmir and Jammu division offer any explanations on this count.
“Unfortunately the FCS& CA Department does not tend to look even for adhoc measures to keep the prices of essential commodities under control and simultaneously initiate the process for legal nod to the revival of decades old practice of market checking in the large public interests and in the broader interests of consumer protection. For strict compliance of Lt Governors strict directions on market checking for the purposes of availability of all essential commodities at the rates notified by the Government it is for the Secretary FCS&CA Department to ensure coordination and cooperation of the department’s enforcement wing with the market checking squads constituted by the Deputy Commission to give a long awaited relief and respite to consumers on the eve of Eid Ul Fitr and Navratra both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division .”
With the FCS&CA Department having said that law does not permit it to revive the decades old market checking practice but ultimately the Government frames laws for the convenience of the people and as such the Government undoubtedly has all the powers to give a legal nod to the revival of decades old market checking practices in the larger interests of the consumer protection. Unfortunately the FCS& CA Department does not tend to look even for adhoc measures to keep the prices of essential commodities under control and simultaneously initiate the process for legal nod to the revival of decades old practice of market checking in the large public interests and in the broader interests of consumer protection. For strict compliance of Lt Governors strict directions on market checking for the purposes of availability of all essential commodities at the rates notified by the Government it is for the Secretary FCS&CA Department to ensure coordination and cooperation of the department’s enforcement wing with the market checking squads constituted by the Deputy Commission to give a long awaited relief and respite to consumers on the eve of Eid Ul Fitr and Navratra both in Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division .
