Sri Lanka, March 22 -- The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has initiated a special series of inspections and investigations from March 20, ahead of the upcoming Sinhala and Hindu New Year celebrations.

The move aims to prevent unfair treatment of consumers in the marketplace. The authority noted that some traders may exploit the current geopolitical and economic instability in the Middle East to create artificial shortages of essential items such as food, gas, and fuel, or to unreasonably inflate prices.

Accordingly, to curb such practices and avoid market disruptions during the festive season, all CAA investigation officers will be deployed continuously, including weekends and public holidays.

Under this special operation, warehouses...