VIJAYAWADA: Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) sleuths conducted surprise raids on edible oil millers, stockists, and retail outlets across the State, booking a total of 87 cases on Wednesday.
Based on complaints from the public that certain traders were indulging in irregularities such as hoarding oil and creating artificial scarcity, V&E Director General Harish Kumar Gupta instructed all regional vigilance officers to conduct surprise inspections and take strict actions against erring traders to control the sudden price hike, which is placing a heavy burden on the general public.
During the inspection, officials found that some millers, stockists, and retail outlets had raised the prices of edible oils under the guise of increased customs duty and were also engaging in unauthorised hoarding and trading of adulterated oils.
A total of 43 teams in 12 districts raided 92 establishments, seizing 14,293 litres of oil, 89,250 kilograms of groundnut seeds, and 298 bags of groundnut cake, all worth approximately Rs 1.75 crore. A fine of Rs 5.14 lakh was also imposed. Officials booked 70 cases under the Legal Metrology Act, 16 cases under the Food Safety Act, and one case under the Essential Commodities Act.
The DG warned that those engaging in illegal business practices that cause hardships to the public would be dealt with sternly and stated that the surprise raids would continue.