The central zone of the Legal Metrology Department has registered 11 cases for overpricing of masks and sanitisers in violation of the prices fixed by the Union government in addition to 17 cases for selling bottled drinking water at inflated rates.
The cases were registered under the Packaged Commodities Rules in the course of nearly 150 inspections carried out since March 20. The government had capped the maximum retail price of hand sanitisers at ₹100 per 200 ml bottle till June 30 this year amid a sharp rise in the price of the product in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Similarly, the price of a 2 ply (surgical) mask was capped at ₹8 and that of 3 ply (surgical) mask at ₹10 till June 30.
“We found that the violators were selling 2 ply and 3 ply masks at ₹30 and ₹40 respectively. It was almost three to four times the price fixed by the government. Sanitisers were also found to be sold at two times above the prescribed rates,” said R. Ram Mohan, Joint Controller. The metrology department has set up complaint cells for the public to reach out on the mobile numbers of the district-level Deputy Controllers: Ernakulam: 9447264040 and 94472 06463; Thrissur: 9447739878; Palakkad: 9400578032; Idukki: 9447599782.
