Kerala - Kochi   

Raids on shops

Staff Reporter

Irregularities found in 26 shops

KOCHI: A district-level monitoring committee, formed by the District Collector to check the rising prices of essential commodities, conducted raids on provision stores and vegetable shops in Ernakulam and Aluva markets on Saturday.

The raids were conducted according to the decision taken at a meeting of the monitoring committee held at the Collectorate in the morning. The raids, led by District Supply Officer Gireesankutti V.K., started around 2.30 p.m. and continued till 6.30 p.m.

A total of 36 stores in Ernakulam market and 24 stores in Aluva market were raided. Irregularities, including the absence of price index boards, hoarding, adulteration and charging excess price, were found in 26 stores.

Suitable action will be taken against those who were found guilty, said District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish.

The squads included the Civil Supplies officials, Legal Metrology officials, Food Inspectors from the Department of Health, Regional Transport Officer and officials from the Motor Vehicles Department.

In Aluva, the raids were conducted by taluk-level officers.

Samples of food items and grains which were suspected to be adulterated were confiscated from many shops and sent for inspection. The price index boards were not displayed in many shops.

Many other shops were found to be charging high prices. The stock registers were also inspected and they were found to be not in order in many shops.

The marketing of rice from a private rice mill in Mookkannur near Angamaly had been frozen following a raid conducted at the mill on Friday by the District Supply Officer on complaints of storing bad quality rice and mixing it with good quality rice.

During Saturday's raids, some tension occurred while attempting to raid a shop on the Jew Street. The raid continued after the intervention of the police.

The raid will be continued and intensified in the coming days, according to the District Collector.

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