The District Administration Shimla today decided to rein the unchecked fruit and vegetable vendors who are charging exorbitant prices in the market after introducing price control mechanism as electronic display board to being installed in the public place to highlights the minimum and maximum retail prices of essential commodities.
Deputy Commissioner Shimla Mr. Rahan Chand Thakur said that he decided to install one such electronic display board outside the DC Office Shimla as he got number of complaints that fruit and vegetable vendors were recovering or charging exorbitant prices in the market.
He said that after calculating prices of vegetables and fruit from the wholesale markets electronic display board depict its retail prices and if any retailers would be found charging the price band above the display data record one could be challaned and booked under various CrPC and IPC laws by the district administration.
During the peak tourist season vegetables and fruit vendors charge profit many fold of their wholesale prices cheating the consumers and depriving farmers from their due share in the exorbitant price and profits.
Shimla despite of the regular supply of fruit and vegetables is considered one of the costliest hill stations due to unchecked vendors and monopoly of retailers in the market. Lakhs of farmers who have to strive hard to produce the off seasonal vegetable often deprived of the remunerative prices during the glut who have to sell their proceeds on the throwaway prices however retailers sell it at exorbitant rate heavily charging the consumers.
