Corpn seals med equipment shop for jacking up price

According to an official from the Health Department, apart from selling masks and thermal scanner at higher rates, the trader also failed to supply the equipment to the Drugs Control Department as he had promised earlier.

“The department had ordered around 200 thermal scanners from the trader for COVID-19 prevention measures. Though the officials had paid for the equipment, the owner of the shop handed over only 50 scanners. He claimed that the remainder would come later, while the shop continued to sell equipment to the public for a jacked-up rate,” a Corporation official said.

Even though the officials searched the premises till midnight, they could not find the thermal scanners as the consignment was stocked somewhere else. The civic officials warned the owner and instructed him to hand over the consignment to the Drug Control department as per the agreement.

The official added that they received complaints from members of the public were received against the shop owner alleging overpricing of masks.

In another incident, the Chennai Corporation recently sealed a popular textile showroom in Purasaiwakkam for not adhering to the State government’s order to close big commercial establishments till March 31. The order was issued to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19 in the State.

“On Tuesday morning, the shop functioned despite the order and we approached the management to close the shop. But the owner opened the shop again on the same day, defying the government order. We went to the shop and sealed it,” a Chennai Corporation official said.

However, the shop management opened eateries and other small shops in front of the building. So the officials went to the shop on Wednesday and asked the management to close the eateries. “But they tried to attack our sanitary inspector. A police case has been filed and with the help of the police, we sealed the building,” the official said.

The owner won’t be able to reopen the shop on March 31 like all other establishments in the city as it was sealed. The management will have to get a de-sealing order from the Chennai Corporation to start functioning.