Date:07/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090752980400.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Onam and Ramzan bazaars successful, says Minister

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 4,000 Onam and the 2,000 Ramzan bazaars set up by the Department of Cooperation for market intervention during the festival season have succeeded in vending 40 essential items at competitive prices all over the State, Minister for Cooperation and Devaswom G. Sudhakaran has said.

Mr. Sudhakaran said in an official note here on Saturday that in spite of the laudable efforts certain societies had made attempts at black-marketing and corruption and such instances were exposed by the inspections carried out by the Vigilance, police and Cooperative Department officials.

He cited an instance of corruption at the Pallikkal cooperative society at Adoor. There were attempts to intimidate the department and Consumerfed officials who initiated action against the office-bearers of the society.

He described as unfortunate the attempt to politicise the issue by staging a dharna before the police station and calling for hartal.

He welcomed KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala’s statement against those who organised the hartal to protect the guilty.

The Minister said that he expected the local police to act in an exemplary manner in this regard.

Stringent action would be taken against those trying to black market the goods supplied for sale through the Onam and Ramzan markets.

Certain cooperative societies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Malappuram districts were being run in violation of the guidelines.

Department officials and the police would inspect the markets to detect malpractices from Sunday and such instances would be reported to the local police.