Delhi: Wholesale vegetable vendors call off strike

Distributors and wholesalers of vegetables and fruits called off a strike to protest the Delhi government's decision to stop the 6% commission charged by distributors from farmers after an assurance from senior minister Manish Sisodia late on Monday night.

Distributors and wholesalers of vegetables and fruits called off a strike to protest the Delhi government's decision to stop the 6% commission charged by distributors from farmers after an assurance from senior minister Manish Sisodia late on Monday night.

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While Delhi's development minister, Girish Soni, had said earlier on Monday evening that they would try to amicably resolve the situation with the wholesalers' body, a meeting was held on Monday night with Sisodia.

"We met the minister after 9:30pm on Monday and he assured us that our demands would be taken care of. He also appealed to us to call off the strike as it was hampering the retailers and consumers and that the city had suffered huge losses because of the strike. We called off the strike at 11:30pm," said Metharam Kriplani, a distributor.

Retailers in the city had warned they would be forced to charge higher prices or not sell at all from Tuesday owing to the stoppage of supply from wholesalers.

Distributors and wholesalers, who had shut shop, claimed that the government's suggestion to pass the burden of the commission onto the consumers would backfire.