20 corporate stores slapped with assessment notice

The Kharar Market Committee issued assessment notices to 20 corporate stores in Mohali and Kharar today for either not paying market fees for rice amounting to several lakhs or seeking exemption from it. Spencers, Reliance Fresh, Reliance Retail, Aditya Birla group and Subhiksha were among the stores who were slapped with the notices.

The Kharar Market Committee secretary Gurmohan Singh said: “The corporates have been asked to furnish all records pertaining to the sale and purchase of rice. After its scrutiny, the assessment of total market fees, payable by them, will be done.

While a few firms pleaded ignorance about having to deposit market fees for their transactions relating to rice, others such as Spencers informed the committee that they had purchased rice worth Rs 8 lakh from the date of their opening till May 2008.

Six Ten of REI Agro Ltd, maintained that they procure their stocks in bulk and it is not possible for them to pay market fees at all the committees where they have their stores. Davinder Bhandari of Reliance Retail claimed they are reporting to the market committee on a weekly basis and they have been paying market fees for the fruits and vegetables procured by them.

A few firms operating in Zirakpur (under the Dera Bassi market committee) had been paying market fees for their rice stocks entering the area. “Whenever any of these firms have any sale or purchase transaction related to agricultural produce, they deposit the market fee or file the KI form,” said Jasbir Kaur, Dera Bassi market committee secretary.

The Kharar committee, however, said that corporates have not filed

the mandatory M-Return (sale-purchase return) and they, being the controlling authority, have quasi-judicial powers to direct these corporates to produce all records pertaining to their transactions.