Three vegetable wholesalers booked under essential commodities act

The Ghazibad district administration on Sunday said it has booked three wholesale vegetables traders of old Subzi Mandi area under Essential Commodity Act for jacking up vegetable prices.

Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said the three vegetable traders were booked after they were found selling various vegetables like onion, potato and tomato on exorbitant prices.

He said to curb unscrupulous traders' tendency to hoard various essential commodities and profiteer by jacking up their prices, the district administration has deployed 38 officials from various department as market inspectors.

They have been tasked to visit grocery, vegetable and medicines shops as decoy customers and keep a tab on the prices being charged by shopkeepers for various essential commodities, he said.

The district magistrate identified the three vegetable traders booked for profiteering as Kailash, Tomeer Alam and Farhan of Old Sabji Mandi area.

The team would remain active in their zones as decoy customers to check medical store owners so that they do not charge exorbitant prices for masks and sanitisers, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani, meanwhile, has urged shop keepers selling milk, vegetables, ration and medicines to keep their shops open.

The essential commodities shops will not be closed even in during the lockdown period, he said, adding if someone forces them to close their shops, they may send their complains on whatsapp number 94544 03434, the SSP said.