DC orders crackdown against perpetrators of 'artificial scarcity' of sanitizers and masks
Asks Health Deptt to act tough against hoarders as mask and sanitizer items declared essential commodities
Ferozepur, March 14, 2020: Deputy Commissioner Ferozepur, Kulwant Singh today directed the Health Department, Food and Civil Supplies department and police department to jointly crackdown on the perpetrators of ‘artificial scarcity’ of the sanitizers, masks and other medicines as the government of India has put these items in the list of essential commodities.
Divulging more, the deputy commissioner said that keeping in view the hoarding and black marketing of these products in the wake of a novel coronavirus outbreak, the government of India through a gazette notification has declared hand sanitizers, surgical cum protective masks and gloves as essential commodities. He said that the hoarding and black marketing of these products are now punishable under the essential commodities Act.
Mr. Kulwant Singh said that it was unfortunate that certain opportunistic people were trying to mint money by creating an ‘artificial scarcity’ of the items like sanitizers and masks, which was unwarranted and undesirable. Likewise, the deputy commissioner said that it has also come to his notice that some people were charging the price of these commodities more than its Maximum Retail Price (MRP), which could not be tolerated. He said that this needs to be checked with a heavy hand and the perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to book.
The Deputy Commissioner asked the Health Department, Food and Civil Supplies department and police department to act sternly against the violators. He said that special checking must be done to ensure no hoarding of these items takes place in the district. Mr Singh said that if anyone was found violating the set norms then exemplary action, within the ambit of law, must be ensured against them.
Assuring fulsome support and cooperation to the health department for this noble cause, the Deputy Commissioner said that the district civil and Police administration would fully support the drive of the health department in this regard. He said that all the departments were already playing a proactive role in sensitizing people against the Corona Virus. Mr Singh said that till yet no case of the virus has been detected in the district so there was no need to get panic from this flu and simple precautions could help in avoiding it.