Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 27: Legal Metrology and Police Department conducted checking inside the Airport Jammu and recovered Rs 1 lakh composition fine from six erring traders.
On the direction of Secretary, Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs cum Controller Legal Metrology, Shafiq Ahmad Raina, a joint team of officers of Legal Metrology and Police Department under the supervision of SSP Airport Rajinder Gupta striked on the vendors inside the Airport Jammu who were indulging in unfair trade practices of charging over and above MRP from air passengers on mineral water, cold drinks, juices and other eatables.
In a statement, Manoj Prabhakar, Deputy Controller of the Legal Metrology Department said that following complaints that all trade establishment inside Airport are in practice of selling products on exaggerated rates without adherence to Legal Metrology Packaged Commodity Rules, a team of officers comprises of Assistant Controller Kewal Krishan and Legal Metrology Officer Mohsin Khateeb accompanied by officers of Police Department undertook a surprise inspections in the premises of Airport Jammu.
During the course of inspection, it was found that these trade establishments in connivance with national level manufacturing companies were printing exorbitant rates on mineral water and cold drinks i.e. a rate of Rs 40 was printed on 1l bottle of mineral water whereas same quantity of water is available at Rs 20 just outside the Airport which as such is not permissible under Legal Metrology rules. The same anomalies were also found on cold drinks and juice packs on which exorbitant MRP was printed illegally.
Besides this one dry fruit establishment namely “One Tree” inside Airport was also booked and fined for illegally packing and selling dry fruits on exorbitant rates.
The team on the spot booked and issued seizure memo to these vendors and national level chain of food sellers operating at Airport.
Meanwhile, the management of these trade establishments confessed the guilt and pleaded for composition of their cases at department level with the assurance that these items will be sold to the passengers as per rates available in the market.
Accordingly all the six erring vendors were fined on the spot and a sum of Rs 1 lakh was recovered as composition money.
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