The Horticulture Producers Cooperative and Marketing Society (HOPCOMS) is acting tough on its staff who ignore customer interests by flouting the norms for self-gain.
The society is trying to bring transparency in its day-to-day affairs by introducing spot weighing machines in most of its outlets. Hopcoms took stern action against one of the salesmen Umesh Gowda in Yadavagiri by suspending him for allegedly behaving in rude manner with one of the female customer.
Apart from this, it has warned about 15 salesmen following complaints from citizens which included an ex-serviceman in Hebbal and a medical practitioner from Krishnamurthypuram in city.
Hopcoms Managing Director B M Shivalingappa said: “In Hebbal, an ex-serviceman was cheated after he paid a higher price for vegetables.
This was proved when he compared the price of the vegetables bought from other Hopcoms outlet in Hebbal. I have warned the salesman of disciplinary action if he repeats the same, besides directing route supervisors to monitor such things,” he said.
In another incident, Dr Prasad, a medical practitioner, complained that the salesman at Ballal Circle outlet in Krishnamurthypuram was not resuming the sales immediately after opening the shop in the morning which was causing difficulty for customers.
Hopcoms has a daily turnover of `2.5 lakh on regular days. But it doubled on last Sunday, a day before Vijayadashami. The business of Hopcoms on last Saturday and Sunday was `3.45 lakh and `5.45 lakh respectively.
The sale of Banana Robusta has also increased after Hopcoms built ripening chamber instead of depending on traditional method. Now the turnover of banana has doubled by record 3 tonnes a day against 1.5 tonne before modern ripening system was introduced.
Hopcoms has also introduced power back-up to 36 out of 42 stalls where the electronic weighing machines are present.
This was to do away with the shopkeepers not giving bills to customers by making lame excuses, said Minister Shivalingappa.