Food and Civil Supplies Minister Yoganand Shastri today said that these agencies were employed on his ``personal initiative''. He was addressing his first press conference after taking over the portfolio. He seems to have taken a leaf out of former chief minister Sahib Singh Verma's book. About a year ago, Verma too had employed private detective agencies to provide information on ``corrupt officials in the administration''.

While that plan had fallen through, it had also landed Sahib Singh in trouble with the bureaucracy. On the lessons to be learnt from the Sahib Singh experience, Shastri said: ``If need be I shall consult him .'' The Food and Supply department, a full-fledged wing of the ministry, also has enforcement powers which are put to use for raiding suspected hoarders or blackmarketeers. Asked why he was not depending on his department for information, Shastri said: ``I think additional help is necessary.''

The minister said the detectives wanted time till December 30 for submitting their reports, ``but we have asked them to start giving us feedback immediately.'' Without specifying the number of agencies that have been hired, he said more such agencies will be employed if necessary. Asked whether he had acquired the legal clearance a minister needs to procure before resorting to private services, he said: ``A legal opinion is unnecessary as this is a personal initiative.''

He, however, steered clear of blaming the bureaucracy for inefficient enforcement saying: ``The bureaucracy functions the way the government wants it to. The earlier government failed to control hoarding, which was the primary reason for the price rise.''

He also announced that the government may seek to lift the ban on the sale of open mustard oil. The ban was imposed by the High Court after the outbreak of the dropsy epidemic in the Capital. ``I have held a meeting with the commissioner, Food and Supplies, and we are preparing to move the court for lifting the ban,'' Shastri said, adding that one-litre pouches of mustard oil will soon be available through the public distribution system (PDS). According to him, a raid was conducted on a shop at Buddh Vihar yesterday, where instead of the statutory 200 quintals allowed for storing pulses, 3,500 quintals were found. ``A case has been registered, but no arrests have been made so far,'' he said.

In a meeting with the traders of vegetables, edible oil and pulses in the morning today, Shastri assured them that there would be no harassment of the traders, but strict action would be taken against blackmarketeers and hoarders.

He also said that if any of the fair price shops mislead the consumers about the availability of stocks, their licences would be cancelled. According to him, though there were enough stocks, the FPS shop-owners were creating an artificial shortage.