Taking advantage of lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic, shopkeepers and vendors selling essential commodities have hiked prices of vegetables and mutton across the Bandipora district in north Kashmir.
Consumers told news agency, that mutton is sold at Rs 650/ kg, chicken at Rs 190/Kg and the rates of vegetables and fruits vary from shop to shop. They said that shopkeepers are taking the advantage of this ongoing Covid-19 lockdown and have increased rates on their own. A consumer said there has been a sharp increase in prices of vegetables from past 20 days “but the concerned authorities have failed to check the same”.
“There are no rate lists available with the vegetable sellers. They have also hiked the prices of locally grown vegetables like Collard Greens (Known as Haakh in Kashmiri parlance), onions, potatoes etc. while the administration is watching as mute spectators,” he said. Salman Nazir a resident of Aragam said that shopkeepers like always are misusing the troubled situations and indulging in open loot and administration too has failed to keep a check on price hiking.
“Most of the shops don’t display the rate-list. I made a phone call to officials but no market checking has been conducted here as rates of essentials continue to sky-rocket,” said Salman. A senior official at the Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) told that the price of vegetables has been fixed as per the market rate. He said that joint teams have been formed to implement government rates and action was being taken against violators—(KNO)
