Market Regulation Faces Challenges Amidst Festival Season
Summary
Market monitoring faces strain during Dashain as staff shortages and reduced sanctioned posts limit enforcement, even as price hikes, black marketing, and substandard goods remain a recurring problem. Consumer rights activists say suspending checks on peak shopping days effectively gives dishonest traders room to cheat consumers.
Key Points
- Festival-season demand has led to recurring problems such as price hikes, black marketing, artificial shortages, and expired goods in the market.
- The Commerce Department says it is shifting from quantity-based checks to quality-focused monitoring, while food hygiene inspections are being led by the Food Technology and Quality Control Department.
- Staff shortages and a reduction in sanctioned posts have sharply reduced the Commerce Department's ability to monitor markets during Dashain, including a full suspension on some peak shopping days.
- Consumer rights activist Bishnu Prasad Timilsina criticized the government's approach, saying reduced enforcement and untrained officers weaken consumer protection.
