Vegetable vendors in Bhopal trick buyers using coloured lights

Vendors in vegetable market in Bhopal are using lights of different colours to trick the buyers into believing that their vegetables and fruits are fresh and pollution free.

The vendors who deceive the consumers use green light for vegetables, so that fading colour of vegetables kept for several days could be hidden. Similarly, they use red or yellow lights to sell days-old fruits.

The buyers realise the trick when they reach home.

A buyer Suman Tiwari (38), a resident of Chunbhatti said, “Winter is the season of green leafy vegetables like spinach and methi. When I used to purchase vegetables from the market, they looked fresh but once I reached home, I found they were of poor quality. Since, I underwent this experience several times, now I am careful.”

Vendors also use this trick to sell raw fruits. “I purchased raw bananas several times. I got tricked due to the yellow light at the shops.”

When HT asked Shakir, a vegetable vendor of Bittan Market, about this trick, he replied, “When people are cheated in malls and big show-rooms due to heavy lights, they never complain and raise any objections. But if we try to attract customers through lights, people put blame us of cheating.”

After knowing the trick, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) health officers took action against vendors and also seized about 50 green lights from vegetable market of Bittan.

Health officer, SP Shrivastava said, “On Monday, BMC’s four teams took action against vendor and also seized 50 green lights.”