Head of Nghe An Market Management Department: Only receives 5 calls per year via hotline

(Baonghean.vn) - Head of the Nghe An Market Management Department Tran Dang Ninh said that the whole year he only received 5 calls through the hotline reporting the sale of counterfeit goods and violations of food hygiene and safety.

Working scene. Photo: Minh Chi

Mr. Tran Dang Ninh said this during a working session with the monitoring delegation of the Legal Department, Provincial People's Council on the fight against and prevention of law violations in the field of market management on the afternoon of August 31.

According to the Head of the Market Management Department, although the unit has established a hotline to receive all information, feedback and denunciations from organizations and individuals related to business activities, buying and selling of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, commercial fraud, and violations of food safety and hygiene, the unit only received 5 calls in the whole year.

"When the people and local authorities stand aside, it is very difficult for the authorities to fight and prevent violations of the law in the field of market management," Mr. Ninh said.

Meanwhile, according to the report of the Department of Market Management, it shows that, tThe situation of production and trading of counterfeit goods, poor quality goods, goods of unknown origin, smuggled goods, and food safety violations is still quite complicated.

The proof is that from 2015 to June 2017, this unit has handled 17,848 cases, with a total fine value of nearly 28 billion VND.

Market management officers inspect vegetables of Chinese origin without valid documents at Vinh wholesale market. Photo: Archive

Meanwhile, the Market Management Force cannot "cover" all areas. For example, each Market Management Team stationed on National Highway 7 and National Highway 48 in charge of 3 mountainous districts has only 6 people.

However, the biggest difficulty for the Market Management Force at present is to combat and handle counterfeit goods because in the province there is no center with sufficient legal status to inspect and confirm this issue; sending samples for appraisal and proving counterfeit goods must be sent to centers outside the province, which takes a lot of time and money.

On the other hand, when some items are seized, to determine whether they are counterfeit or fake, samples must be sent to businesses whose trademarks are counterfeited or imitated, but many businesses do not cooperate, making it difficult for authorities to prove the origin in order to have a basis for handling.

From the above reality, the Market Management Department admits that the work of fighting and preventing law violations in this field has not met the people's requirements.

Mr. Tran Dang Ninh - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, concurrently Head of the Provincial Market Management Department, admitted: The work of fighting and preventing law violations in the field of market management has not met the people's requirements. Photo: Minh Chi

At the meeting, members of the People's Council's Legal Committee discussed and clarified the coordination between forces in the fight against and prevention of law violations in the field of market management; Regulations on decentralization of responsibilities of sectors in State management of food hygiene and safety; reasons for the low number of criminal prosecutions for law violations in this field.

Ms. Thai Thi An Chung - Deputy Head of the Legal Committee of the Provincial People's Council acknowledged the efforts of the provincial Market Management force in the conditions of small staff, large operating area, and lack of means and equipment.

"The Market Management Force needs to continue to increase the frequency of operations, control and strengthen professional measures, and fight more effectively in this field" - Ms. An Chung suggested./.

Minh Chi