Essential items are now a luxury at Salem bus stands

SALEM: Passengers passing through the Salem New Bus Stand and the Old Bus Stand are a disgruntled lot as they have to burn a hole in their pockets even to buy essential items. Water bottles, biscuits, tea and coffee are priced above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), claimed passengers.

As many as 20,000 passengers use the New Bus Stand every day to reach various districts and people from various places also reach Salem here. There are more than 100 shops and most of them sell essential commodities above the MRP.

For example, a one-litre water bottle’s MRP is Rs 20 but at the New Bus Stand, it is sold for Rs 25 at all shops. The same goes for biscuit packets and chocolates, worried sources, who added there are no boards displaying the prices of these items.

Those who are in a hurry to board buses have no option but to pay the money that is asked by the shopkeepers. Sources said the fleecing has been prevalent in the area for many years despite inspections by the labour department, food safety department and Salem City Municipal Corporation (SCMC) officials.

Speaking to TNIE, Akhil Bharatheeya Grahak Panchayath (ABGP) Salem district coordinator R Narayanan said as per the Packaged Commodities (regulations) Rules 2017, all the packaged commodities must have details of the date of manufacturing, MRP, name and address of the manufacturer, weight, date of expiry and customer care number in case of eatables. “In Salem New Bus Stand, a large number of shopkeepers are selling packed food items, soft drinks, water bottles and even newspapers over and above the MRP. We urge the departments concerned for stringent enforcement of Packaged Commodities Rules and to take suitable actions to see that the Legal Metrology Rules of 2017 and laws relating to weights and measures are enforced,” he said.

He suggested that shops under the control of cooperative departments could be opened in Salem New Bus Stand to ensure the availability of food items at proper MRPs.

Officials attached to the food safety and labour departments said most of the shops were taken on lease by politicians across all parties. “If officials conduct raids in these shops, we receive more pressure from them. But in regular intervals we have been conducting raids,” they added.

Salem City Municipal Corporation (SCMC) Commissioner T Christuraj assured to look into the matter and take action against erring shops.