24 arrested for overpricing, show cause notice to trade tax officials

VARANASI: At least 24 grocery and vegetable traders were caught selling essential commodities at prices high than fixed by the district administration, on Monday.
Nine traders were held during a reality check by district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma and SSP Prabhakar Chawdhary in Chetganj market on Monday morning. Both the officails reached the market posing as a common buyer and caught the traders involved in overpricing.The trade tax officials, who had been assigned the task to check the overpricing, have also come under the scanner.
The action led to chaos in the market as traders started pulling down their shutters. Their union leaders also tried to stage a protest following which two of such leaders were arrested.
SP city Dinesh Kumar Singh said that nine traders have been arrested on the charges of overpricing and black marketing. They were booked under appropriate section of essential commodities Act while their two leaders were booked for breaching peace under section 151 of code of criminal procedure by Chetganj police.
Following frequent complaints of overpricing and black marketing of essential commodities during Covid-19 lockdown, the DM and the SSP reached Chetganj market with carry bags as common buyers and started purchasing essential goods including food grains and vegetables. While purchasing goods they found nine traders selling essential commodities at high prices despite the fact that the revised price list of such goods had already been issued by the administration on Sunday.
The DM ordered the Chetganj police to arrest these traders and lodge FIRs against them.
The action against the traders led to chaos in Chetganj and neighbouring Paan Dariba markets. The traders started pulling down their shutters and the local trader union leaders tried to gather at Chetganj crossing to stage protest against the arrested of the traders. The policemen arrested two of their leaders and made the mob disperse.
Other four teams formed by the DM under magistrates also conducted similar surprise inspections and caught 15 traders in the markets of their areas concerned. They were also sent to jail after lodging FIRs at different police stations.
The DM said that show cause notice is being issued to trade tax officials. The DM had assigned the task of monitoring the markets to 25 trade tax officials and had made it clear that stern action would be taken against the officials if any case of overpricing is detected during the lockdown.
Meanwhile, one Bharat Mishra of Bharthara village under Lohta police station was arrested for attacking a sub-inspector Pankaj Singh aftrer he instructed Bharat to go inside his home.