New Delhi, April 8: With the 21-day coronavirus lockdown in place and Union Home Ministry has asked to states to ensure availability of essential goods, by invoking Essential Commodities Act 1955. Under this act, control of the production, supply and distribution of, and trade and commerce is contolled by the states.

According to the law, Centre asks states to impose stock-holding limits to prevent hoarding, confiscate the stocks of violators and imposes punishment. For this purpose, the Central government had brought hand sanitisers and masks (2-ply, 3-ply variety and N95) under the purview of the Essential Commodities Act (EC Act) until June 30. An Additional Collector is authorised by a collector to perform the functions and exercise the powers of the Collector. He or she has the power to regulate or prohibit the production, supply, distribution and sale of that commodity, as the law states. Maharashtra Becomes First State in India to Cross 1,000 Coronavirus Cases.

What comes under EC Act 1955:

1) Under this, an Additional Collector is authorised to:

a) Add or remove any notify any commodity under EC Act 1955.

b) Control powers to control production, supply, distribution, etc., of essential commodities.

c) Regulate licences, permits or otherwise the production or manufacture of any essential commodity.

d) Regulate or prohibit any class of commercial or financial transactions relating to foodstuffs.

e) May determine different prices, from time to time, for different areas or factories or varieties of sugar.

2) Apart from this, under Section 3 of the EC Act, 1955, any order made under it, can help siezure of essential commodity, any animal, vehicle, vessel or other conveyance used in carrying such essential commodity, if found violating the act.

3) If any person contravenes any order made under Section 3 od EC Act, 1955:

a) He/she may be imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and shall also be liable to fine.

b) In some cases, with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to seven years, plus fine.

c) Any property shall be forfeited to the Government.

d) Any package, in respect of which the order has been contravened, shall be  forfeited to the Government.

Apart from these there are several sections under which penalities and punishments are imposed by the government to control hoarding and black marketing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2020 02:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).