Bhubaneswar, Sept 25: The Odisha government has uncovered a serious issue involving the sale of low-quality gold ornaments by eight jewellers in the state. This revelation was made by Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Minister Krushna Chandra Patra in the Odisha Assembly on Tuesday. The minister addressed a query raised by BJD MLA Prasanta Behera.
According to Minister Patra, these jewellers, hailing from various districts including Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, and Khurda, have been caught selling substandard gold jewelry over the past three years. In response to the issue, the state government has taken stern measures, cancelling the registrations of four jewellers and serving notices to three others for similar action. However, one of the cases is currently under legal review, with the case against Ambika Jewellers in Sambalpur still sub-judice.
The jewellers whose registrations have been cancelled include:
Rajashree Jewellery, Kujang (Jagatsinghpur)
Suna & Chandi Ghara, Grand Road (Puri)
Radhakanta Jewellers, Barpali (Bargarh)
Alankara Jewellers, Sambalpur
Notices have been served to the following jewellers for potential cancellation of their registrations:
Srikrushna Jewellers, Unit-3 (Bhubaneswar, Khurda)
Pawan Alankar, Jharsuguda
Srinath Jewellers, Ganjam
Minister Patra also revealed that in the last three years, authorities have penalized at least 14 jewellers across the state for improper gold measurements. Penalties totaling Rs 23,500 were imposed on six jewellers in the 2022-23 financial year. In 2023-24, six jewellers were fined Rs 1.55 lakh, and in the ongoing 2024-25 fiscal year, penalties amounting to Rs 48,000 have been collected from four jewellery stores.
The state government’s actions aim to protect consumers from fraudulent practices and ensure fair and accurate trading in the gold market.
