MoC mkt monitoring team performance to be reviewed today

The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) will review the performances of market monitoring teams today (Sunday) aiming to keep the prices of essential commodities under control, officials have said.
"We will review the performances of our monitoring teams and discuss the market price situation at the meeting on February 1, 2015," an additional secretary of the MoC told the FE on Saturday.
At present there are 14 monitoring teams of the ministry to look into the essential commodity price situation at the wholesale and retail markets in the capital.
The official said the meeting will review the country's stock situation of commodities and their supplies to the markets.
The MoC is also actively considering dispatching monitoring teams to any market if it notices that traders of the market are involved in price manipulation.
Apart from the market monitoring teams of the MoC, the DNCRP (Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection) - which is under the ministry - also conducts market monitoring drives separately.
The deputy commissioners (DCs) lead market monitoring drives in their respective districts as per the directives of the MoC.
The official of the MoC hinted that today's meeting may recommend to the government to increase the number of monitoring teams.
The teams of the MoC sometimes need police support for conducting market monitoring drives. Besides, it also conducts market monitoring drive without police mainly to motivate the traders.
It appears difficult for the MoC to carry out market monitoring drives as it could not get adequate number of police personnel since they (police) are now engaged in the hunt for the criminals who hurl patrol bombs at buses and disrupt smooth movement of public and vehicles during the ongoing blockade.
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