The government is intensifying market monitoring across the Kathmandu Valley ahead of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, deploying around 50 staff to deter artificial shortages and abnormal price increases. The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection says about 10 teams will conduct checks daily, with one to two teams assigned to respond to consumer complaints.
Monitoring ahead of major festivals
The expanded effort comes as households prepare for three major festivals. The government’s stated aim is to prevent businesses from creating artificial shortages or imposing abnormal price rises during the festive period. The department’s deployment of staff and daily monitoring teams is intended to increase oversight of market activity across the valley.
The announcement does not specify how long the intensified monitoring will continue, which markets or product categories will receive particular attention, or what enforcement measures may follow if violations are found. It does, however, set out the scale of the current arrangement: around 50 staff are being deployed, and approximately 10 teams are expected to monitor markets each day.
Teams to conduct daily checks
The daily team structure is central to the department’s plan. Rather than relying on occasional inspections, about 10 teams are assigned to carry out market monitoring each day. The department has not provided further details on the locations, schedules or specific procedures for those checks in the available information.
The deployment is focused on the Kathmandu Valley. The department’s stated concerns - artificial shortages and abnormal price rises - are particularly relevant to consumers during a busy festival season, when people are making preparations and purchases. The monitoring effort is intended to discourage practices that could interfere with consumers’ ability to find goods or face unusual price changes.
Consumer complaints included in the plan
One to two of the monitoring teams are assigned to address consumer complaints. This gives complaints a defined place in the department’s daily monitoring arrangement, alongside the broader market checks. The department has not disclosed how consumers should submit complaints, how quickly they will be handled, or what types of complaints are expected to receive priority.
The assignment means that a portion of the teams’ work is specifically directed toward concerns raised by consumers. The remaining teams form part of the daily monitoring presence, although the department has not detailed how responsibilities are divided among them. No figures on complaints received, inspections completed or action taken were provided in the available announcement.
Seasonal oversight
The government’s initiative links festival-season market oversight with two stated risks: artificial scarcity and abnormal price increases. With around 50 staff deployed and about 10 teams working daily, the department is increasing its monitoring capacity in the valley during the period leading up to Dashain, Tihar and Chhath.
The announcement outlines the staffing and team arrangements but does not report findings from inspections or identify businesses accused of wrongdoing. It also does not provide a timetable for the operation beyond describing it as a festival-season monitoring effort. For now, the department’s stated approach combines daily market checks with dedicated attention to consumer complaints.
