RICE SOLD ABOVE CONTROLLED PRICES

CAA to take legal action

Reports from many parts of the country say that traders were defying the government order to sell rice at controlled prices that were introduced last week and the officials of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) are to take legal action against the offenders.

Inspections were carried out on Friday in Gampaha Town by the Investigation Unit of the Gampaha Branch of Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to check the sale of rice following the maximum price limit was imposed.

They have found all the shops they inspected were selling rice above the control price and they are now taking legal actions against these traders.

Their inspections revealed that these traders were selling

They have found all the shops they inspected were selling rice above the control price and they are now taking legal actions against these traders

local and imported Nadu rice at Rs.110 per kilo and Samba and White Kekulu at Rs. 100 while respective maximum prices are Rs.72 Rs 80 and 70 also with the their selling price being displayed.

These raids were conducted by the Gampaha CAA branch investigation Head Pradeep Kaluarachchi and a team under the guidance of the Gampaha District Secretary Sunil Jayalath.

Meanwhile, in a raid conducted on the same day by the Officers of the Kandy District Consumer Affairs Authority branch, 78 bags of rice were taken into custody from five shops for selling rice above the control price and for selling rice unfit for consumption.

The CAA officers raided five shops at Colombo Street in Kandy where rice was being sold above the control price. Rice unfit for consumption was detected from another shop at the same area.

The raid was conducted by the Head of the Kandy CAA branch A.M.J. Samantha, Investigation Officer I.M.E.M.S. Abeysinghe, L.M.S. Navimana and N.I. Priayalal . Cases are due to be filed against these traders at the Kandy Magistrate’s Court.

Rice taken into custody include Samba, Kiri Samba, Nadu and Kekulu.