Profiteers beware: Govt contemplates stringent laws to check essential commodities’ prices

Srinagar: Warning strict action against the people who indulge in practices like profiteering, over pricing and black marketing, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan today maintained that the government will not hesitate to book them under stringent laws which include Public Safety Act (PSA).
He said this while chairing a meeting to review the functioning of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department (FCS&CA) here at Civil Secretariat today.
The meeting was attended by Director FCS&CA Kashmir, Bashir Ahmad; Additional Secretary FCS&CA, Mehraj-ud-Din Rather; Officer on Special Duty, Mohammad Ashraf Hakak, Joint Director FCS&CA, Deputy Director Supplies and other concerned.
Secretary FCS&CA, Simrandeep Singh and Assistant Directors of all the districts of Kashmir division attended the meeting via video conferencing.
On the occasion, Advisor Khan directed Assistant Directors of all districts of Kashmir to implement rate lists of all essential commodities and check black marketing, over pricing and hoarding in their respective districts.
He said that defaulters must face the music of law while directing the field functionaries to strictly monitor activities of these defaulters and to carry out repeated raids on these people to make a strong dossier so that habitual offenders would be booked under the PSA.
He said that there is need to act tough on the ground against complaints of black marketing, over pricing and hoarding so as to enforce the writ of the Government which would eventually send a strong message to other people who are also involved in such activities.
He also directed the concerned to address all the issues and complaints flagged by people or social activists who help the government to check the flaws in the system.
The Advisor also directed the concerned to weed out unnecessary beneficiaries from the list so as to add deserving people to the list under different food entitlement schemes of Government of India.
On the occasion, the Advisor was informed that the process to update Aadhaar linking and social audit is in full swing.
The Advisor also enquired about the status of market and price checking in far flung areas of Kashmir valley.
Regarding the quota of Kerosene Oil, Advisor Khan directed Secretary FCSC&A to facilitate the allotted quota for the areas so that the people in these areas won’t face any problem to get their allotted K-Oil quota.
He also directed the Secretary to regularly monitor the process of license renewal of mutton dealers so that profiteering and black marketing would be checked.
On the occasion, the Advisor commended the Department for its untiring services during COVID-19 Pandemic.
He said the department provided a great relief to the people by providing door-to-door ration supplies during the pandemic.