KOLKATA: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said his government was taking steps to control prices of essential commodities, particularly sugar, which has seen a sharp rise over the past month.
Inaugurating a Consumer Protection Week programme at the historic Hogg Market in central Kolkata, Adhikari said the state government would adopt a zero-tolerance policy against dishonest business practices, including fraud in residential apartment bookings, use of harmful colours in vegetables and fish, and manipulation of weights and measurements.
"For a long time, buyers and sellers in the state were cheated because of institutional corruption," Adhikari said, and alleged that previous governments had "severely neglected" the consumer affairs department, which has a direct connection with the everyday lives of ordinary people.
The chief minister claimed the price of sugar had marginally declined following his government's action.
Retail prices of sugar skyrocketed in the state, as in many other parts of the country, by over 30 per cent in just one month. Enforcement Branch officials have been visiting different markets in Kolkata and other cities to keep a tab on prices of essentials and check unfair trade practices.
"The retail price of sugar and vegetables has seen a rise," Adhikari said, asserting that his government was taking action on issues affecting the general public.
His remarks came in the wake of a recent special administrative meeting, which he chaired, to prevent food adulteration and black marketing.
Officials from the state's consumer protection and food inspection wings, Enforcement Branch, Anti-Corruption Branch, and health department attended the meeting.
Even though the use of harmful colours in food and applying chemicals to make fish and vegetables appear 'fresh' is prohibited, the practice remains quite rampant in the state.
"Such practices had been facilitated by collusion between some profiteering traders and certain dishonest police officers and officials associated with the previous, decaying system. These would no longer be tolerated," Adhikari said.
Expressing concern over alleged large-scale fraud in the buying and selling of flats, the chief minister said numerous complaints related to such fraud are being received at the 'Janata Darbar' he holds every week and at the CMR grievance cell.
"People are getting financially ruined after being lured by fake advertisements and being asked to pay advance money in the name of booking flats," he said.
Referring to an online fraud case, he said only recently the Bidhannagar Police had raided a room in New Town and arrested 120 people. The gang had allegedly been collecting money through fake bookings by using the names of well-known online food and goods delivery companies.
Stating that some officials might have been allowing unfair practices, the chief minister took a potshot at previous governments, saying, "The whole system has become rotten."
Alleging the department was "neglected" by previous regimes, Adhikari claimed, "Since becoming an MLA in 2006, I have never seen then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya or anyone who came after him attend any programme of the Consumer Affairs Department."
"The way corrupt practices at every level were given an institutional framework in the state, both buyers and sellers were getting cheated," he added.
The chief minister announced several government measures to make the department more active and efficient, including additional budgetary funds allocation, recruitments, providing modern equipment for quality and measurement testing and ensuring full cooperation from the EB and ACB for enforcement of the state Consumer Protection Act.
"The Consumer Affairs Department has a huge responsibility to secure the interests of buyers," he added.