CAA earns over Rs 10m in fines

Irangika RANGE

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has earned over Rs. 10.1 million through fines in islandwide raids conducted during the festive season.

CAA Chairman Rumi Marzook told the Daily News that the authority received a number of public complaints during the festive season regarding errant traders.

Following their complaints, the CAA raiding teams conducted 4,200 countrywide raids during the Christmas and New Year season.

Meanwhile, the CAA had conducted 42,000 raids last year and earned over Rs.100 million as fines from errant traders.

"We commenced the raids to nab errant traders who engaged in deceptive conduct and unfair trade practices targeting the festive season during December on the instructions of Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando," he said. Raids were conducted in all parts of the country including the North and East. Most of the errant traders were nabbed from the Colombo district. These traders had fleeced the consumers by selling commodities including rice at a higher price than the maximum stipulated retail prices.

Selling goods above the maximum stipulated prices, selling expired goods and failing to display prices of goods, non issuance of the guarantees, not displaying prices of items advertised through electronic and print media and hoardings and selling goods under condition were some of the offences that the CAA issued fines for.