Pokhara, March 15: Minister for Industry, Commerce, and Supply, Lekhraj Bhatta, has warned to initiate actions against those businesspersons/traders involved in the acts of malpractice by taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis.
He came up with such warnings while carrying out surprise monitoring on various department stores in Pokhara on Friday evening (March 13).
Minister Bhatta directed the concerned authorities to even penalize Yadav Stores at Chipledhunga of Pokhara for it was illicitly selling per kg salt at Rs 25 rather than the proper market price of Rs 20. He had reached the store by disguising himself as a customer. Ministry Secretary Baikuntha Aryal and Joint Secretary at Supply Division Prakash Dahal were directed to punish the store immediately.
The Minister’s personal secretary Birendra Basnet informed that the Minister and his team launched market monitoring activities in Pokhara in order to ensure that the general customers will not fall prey to the anomalies like exorbitant market prices, artificial shortage, etc in the wake of the menace of coronavirus disease.
He further said the Ministry team of high-level officials headed by Minister Bhatta was in Pokhara to study tourism-related activities apart from market monitoring.
