This story is from July 16, 2016

Lokayukta issues notice to mantri for ‘failure’ to control rates of pulses

Consumer Body Files Complaint
Lokayukta issues notice to mantri for ‘failure’ to control rates of pulses
Mumbai: The Lokayukta on Thursday issued notices to state minister Girish Bapat and a top bureaucrat over a complaint that alleged the food and civil supplies department’s failure to act to control spiralling prices of tur dal and other pulses.
Hearing a complaint filed by Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, Justice (retd) M L Tahaliyani, who heads the state’s anti-corruption ombudsman, asked minister Bapat and Deepak Kapoor, principal secretary (food, civil supplies and consumer protection), why investigation should not be initiated against them on the issue.
The MGP alleged that in the crucial months between April to November 2015, when prices of tur dal went up from Rs 90 per kg to around Rs 200 per kg, the ministry failed to invoke provisions of the Essential Commodities Act (ECA) to regulate prices.
“Prima facie a strong case is made out for issuing notices to the minister and principal secretary,” said the Lokayukta and asked them to file their responses before July 26, 2016 and explain “why an investigation under the Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta Act should not be initiated.” An investigation entails hearing the case and both the complainant as well as the persons against whom the complaint is lodged, before giving a decision.
In the complaint, Shirish Deshpande, president of MGP, said the ministry had failed to issue orders under Section 3 of the ECA to curb hoarding of pulses and tur dal in particular, which led to skyrocketing of prices. Section 3 gives wide powers to the state to issue orders for maintaining or increasing supplies of any essential commodity or securing their equitable distribution and availability at fair prices, the complaint said. The provision allows state to control prices at which an essential commodity may be bought or sold. According to Deshpande, an earlier restriction on the stock of tur dal was lifted in April 2015 and reinstated in November 2015. This period, MGP said, when there was no restriction on the stock, prices shot up from Rs 90 to Rs 200 per kg. “The common man has suffered due to inaction on the part of the minister and principal secretary,” the complaint said.
author
About the Author
Shibu Thomas

Shibu Thomas is a special correspondent at The Times of India in Mumbai. He writes on legal issues in the Bombay high Court and other courts in the city. He has written on PILs filed by citizens, human rights violations and prisoners caught in the legal system. He has travelled across two continents and plans to cover the remaining five.

End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA