Govt plans market monitoring directive
KATHMANDU:
The government is developing comprehensive market monitoring directive to build coordination among regulating agencies and ensure uniformity in the action.
“The directives will clearly demarked areas of operation of regulating and build coordination among them,” said director general of the department, Anil Kumar Thakur, in a programme today. The directive comes into enforcement from Mangsir.
Currently, there is no uniformity in action among Department of Commerce, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, District Administration Office and local bodies. They are monitoring the market according to their respective laws.
For instance, Department of Commerce is enforcing Consumer Protection Act 1998 and Competition Promotion and Market Protection Act 2007, while District Administration Office has been enforcing Black Marketing and Certain Other Social Offences Act 1978. Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has been monitoring foods market under Food Act 1967.
Nepal Chambers of Commerce (NCC) has also urged the traders to be responsible towards consumers and their rights while doing business earlier this week. “Traders should not sell the goods that threatens consumers’ lives,” according to president of NCC Suresh Kumar Basnet. “Traders should not sell unlabeled goods and display price-list in the shops,” he said. Labeling on finished goods and price-list — wholesale and retail — are primary condition under the consumer law – Consumer Protection Act 1998 – but over 80 per cent shops in Kathmandu Valley do not abide by the law.
According to him, NCC has directed its member traders to sell labeled goods that have manufacturing date, batch number and expiry goods. Likewise, it has also urged industrialists and importers to return date expired goods from shops. “Industries and importers should have return mechanism at the earliest,” he added. There are no mechanisms to return expired and damaged goods in Nepali industries and also the importers, so expired goods are sold in market.
Consumer rights activist Jagannath Mishra welcomed the decisions of NCC and urged the traders to be responsible towards customers. “Consumer laws cannot change everything, so traders have to be honest in their business to protect consumers as the traders themselves are also consumers.”
He asked the government and traders to build consumer friendly domestic trade policy and set up hoarding limits. Retailer’s associations has supported market monitoring drive but with some preconditions. “Market monitoring is necessary but it should be well researched and result oriented,” president of Retailers’ Association Nepal Krishna Man Shrestha, said, adding that the government should not create terror.
According to him, government should regularise industrialists, importers and stockiest before monitoring small traders. “Major problems are in production, import and wholesale stages,” he said.
Source: THT
The government is developing comprehensive market monitoring directive to build coordination among regulating agencies and ensure uniformity in the action.
“The directives will clearly demarked areas of operation of regulating and build coordination among them,” said director general of the department, Anil Kumar Thakur, in a programme today. The directive comes into enforcement from Mangsir.
Currently, there is no uniformity in action among Department of Commerce, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, District Administration Office and local bodies. They are monitoring the market according to their respective laws.
For instance, Department of Commerce is enforcing Consumer Protection Act 1998 and Competition Promotion and Market Protection Act 2007, while District Administration Office has been enforcing Black Marketing and Certain Other Social Offences Act 1978. Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has been monitoring foods market under Food Act 1967.
Nepal Chambers of Commerce (NCC) has also urged the traders to be responsible towards consumers and their rights while doing business earlier this week. “Traders should not sell the goods that threatens consumers’ lives,” according to president of NCC Suresh Kumar Basnet. “Traders should not sell unlabeled goods and display price-list in the shops,” he said. Labeling on finished goods and price-list — wholesale and retail — are primary condition under the consumer law – Consumer Protection Act 1998 – but over 80 per cent shops in Kathmandu Valley do not abide by the law.
According to him, NCC has directed its member traders to sell labeled goods that have manufacturing date, batch number and expiry goods. Likewise, it has also urged industrialists and importers to return date expired goods from shops. “Industries and importers should have return mechanism at the earliest,” he added. There are no mechanisms to return expired and damaged goods in Nepali industries and also the importers, so expired goods are sold in market.
Consumer rights activist Jagannath Mishra welcomed the decisions of NCC and urged the traders to be responsible towards customers. “Consumer laws cannot change everything, so traders have to be honest in their business to protect consumers as the traders themselves are also consumers.”
He asked the government and traders to build consumer friendly domestic trade policy and set up hoarding limits. Retailer’s associations has supported market monitoring drive but with some preconditions. “Market monitoring is necessary but it should be well researched and result oriented,” president of Retailers’ Association Nepal Krishna Man Shrestha, said, adding that the government should not create terror.
According to him, government should regularise industrialists, importers and stockiest before monitoring small traders. “Major problems are in production, import and wholesale stages,” he said.
Source: THT
