Ex-CAA Chairman Marzook laments lack of action to rein in errant traders

By Norman Palihawadane

Former Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority, Rumy Marzook, says consumers are fleeced by errant traders as never before, while those responsible for the protection of consumer rights look the other way.

“Traders jack up the prices at their will. There is no price control on any goods. Actually, price control is non-existent as there is no action from those responsible for the protection of interests of the consumers,” Marzook told The Island yesterday.

He said that the CAA flying squads could raid the shops of errant traders to prevent the exploitation of the public.

“When I was the CAA Chairman, one of the main tasks of the CAA was to conduct regular raids. We sent those squads all over the country and the traders were scared of selling goods above the stipulated prices. Trades fell in line in the end. Now, there are no raids and there is no one to look after the interests of the consumers and the result is that traders fleece them at will,” Marzook said.

He said that there had been many times of shortages of commodities in the market but the traders did not increase the prices during his tenure in fear of legal repercussions and fines. “The CAA not only looked after the consumers’ interests but also brought in revenue for the state in the form of fines exacted from errant traders,” the former CAA Chairman said.