Can’t sue Prima due to Section 77 Bandula blames Ravi K.

Irangika Range

COLOMBO: Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operative and Consumer Service Minister Bandula Gunawardana urged Parliament to appoint a Select Committee to probe the introduction of Section 77 to the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003 by former Trade Minister Ravi Karunanayake to provide the legal protection to the Prima Company.

The Government has filed three cases against Prima regarding its unfair wheat flour price hike on three occasions. But the Company has not appeared before courts taking cover under this Section 77 which was introduced by the former Trade Minister to protect the Prima Company. Therefore the Government is unable to break the monopoly of the Prima Company.

“We have drafted a new Bill by removing this Section 77,”the Minister said. The Bill is expected to be presented to Parliament shortly.

He said it is strange how the Opposition makes allegations against the Government regarding wheat flour price hikes while introducing laws themselves which protect the Company. “It is questionable how this Section 77 was smuggled into the Act. obviously there is a wheat flour crisis in the world market due to the severe drought in the wheat producing countries.

The Company has increased the wheat flour price on three occasions without the approval of the Consumer Affairs Authority. “They cannot increase the price in this manner since wheat flour has been declared an essential commodity under a special Gazette Notification,” he said.

“Though the Government has invited Prima several times to discuss this it never turned up”, the Minister added.