Dept files six lawsuits in one year

KATHMANDU,DEC 15: 

Department of Commerce has filed lawsuits in Kathmandu District Court against six industries for violating provisions of consumer protection laws in last one year.

Of the six cases, four were against edible oil industries not meeting requirements of Consumer Protection Act 1998, whereas two were against vegetable and noodle industry respectively.

Market monitoring team of the department has monitored about 228 industries and business firms in the first four months of current fiscal year but not a single case has been filed at the district court. “We didn’t file case in court but recommend local bodies to punish them,” said a director at the department that has recommend Kathmandu Metropolis to punish eight sweet shops and 14 meat shops found violating laws during August-October monitoring.

Likewise, cases of two sweet shops were forwarded to Lalitpur Sub-metropolis. 

Municipalities have quasi-judicial rights to punish business or industries involved in illegal activities. However, local bodies have not used the rights provided by Local Self-governance Act. “We don’t have any information from metropolis about the action they have taken or going to take till date,” the director said.

Source: THT