Exorbitant prices of essential items, raids in city wholesale market

In order to control the high inflation of essential items across markets of the capital city and hoarding by a section of traders despite adequate stocks across the state, the administration on Monday has launched their drive against hoarding of essential items at MG Bazar market of Agartala.

With onset of Monsoon season and after repeated appeals from the state government that there is no situation for panic over availability of all essential food items and fuel products, rampant hoarding started across the state by section of errant wholesale traders over selling of different food items including rice, pulses, wheat and different kind of flours.

Since Monday, a jumbo team of Sadar administration staff, Food department authorities along with police personnel raided many wholesale shops at Netaji road area of MG Bazar and issued notices to some errant traders, who are not maintaining proper distribution system and are not also maintaining the prices of edible essential items.

During the raids, speaking with media persons DCM (Sadar) Ranjit Kumar Das said that recently the Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) of Sadar subdivision had a meeting with small grocery traders of MG Bazar, Battala and other major markets of the capital city and during mutual discussions, it has been revealed that wholesale traders are not maintain receipts or selling data as per the norms.

He said that the majority of wholesale traders are giving slips to their customers instead of any kind of proper receipts with proper rate charts and taxation codes.

When, the team raided on Monday at different wholesale farms at Netaji road, found many discrepancies over regular maintenance of stocks, wholesale prices of different items including edible oil, even the wholesale traders are also not giving any proper slip for receipt for their sale to small traders, which often lead to exorbitant rates in retail shops.

Das said that after recording many discrepancies in the wholesale market, the administration is now verifying the papers of the wholesale traders and they were served notices asking them to give a reply as to why they are not maintaining a proper system including proper retail rates.

The teams also monitored whether the shopkeepers are maintaining the norms for  purchase and sale of stocks with rates.

Das said that since the beginning of Monsoon season the prices of all necessary items are being artificially hiked by some errant traders for hoarding. ‘Our teams monitor each and every shop of the markets and review the wholesale and retail prices’, said Das adding that there are many discrepancies  in prices of wholesale and retail, but the situation of the entire market is under control.

He said that a section of traders are creating artificial crises in the market by hiking prices of rice and other edible items for their own interest and creating a panic in the markets.

He said that strict warning has been given to all errant traders and if they do not take proper measures to sell their goods, then administration will impose Disaster Management Act and will take action as per the law.

There are no shortages of any essential items and all items are available in the markets, said Das, adding that stringent legal action would be taken against errant traders if they noticed any artificial crisis in the market or exorbitant rates.