Kohima, November 1 (MExN): Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organization (NVCO) has appealed the District Administration to stop all forms of fund raising such as selling newspaper by way of donation, donation voucher, sale of calendars, lottery tickets, buffet, moudi/packed food/cooked as well as uncooked meat/vegetables, wine bottle with cooked meat, tea leaves, etc.
While supporting and appreciating the stand of Kohima Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the NVCO appealed to the District Administration to stop all forms of fund raising “as all these conducts amounts to nuisance and harassment not less than daylight robbery/extortion/easy money making and it seriously affects the prices.”
NVCO Press & Media Cell in a press release stated that besides fighting against the illegal collection of cash at the check gates and on highways, it has been fighting against all these menace which is affecting the prices in the market, the release stated.
Appealing to stop the menace before it is too late, NVCO held that “more and more new practices of fund-raise was coming up such as selling 3 kg of pork at the rate of Rs 1000, selling lottery ticket to the extent of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per ticket, varieties of fresh vegetables in a basket ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000, wine bottle with cooked meat at Rs 5,000, moudi (packed) ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 2000, small amount of variety of cooked packed ranging Rs 1000 plus, etc.”
The NVCO was informed that on October 4, Nagaland Police at the check-gate was asking for Rs 100 with the intent to buy tea from one mini truck carrying bags of rice from government store under National Food Security Act 2013 i.e. a kg of rice for Rs 3 which is meant for the poor section of people especially AAY and Priority Household (PHH).
“So much of unfair means of practices is prevailing in our society including the shortage of weight in LPG cooking gas found to be only 10 - 11 kg instead of 14.2 or 14.5 kg of net weight where the NVCO came to learn from the public/consumers of Pfutsero town, Phek district during its on-going state-wide Consumer Awareness Campaign.”
Collection of toll tax by the municipal/town council without providing services to the tax-payers was another instance, President NVCO Kezhokhoto Savi, Advocate held.
Asserting it was high time that the state government consider it seriously and initiate timely actions, otherwise, NVCO cautioned of a time where the concerned authority may not be in a position to control prices, while the victim would be the ‘consumers.’
Meanwhile, it affirmed to continue to voice against “all the menace in its ongoing state-wide Consumer Awareness Campaign.”
