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Vegetable price rise: Kolkata police raid markets to check hoarding
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the police to check whether a section of traders were hoarding vegetables which could have led to their spike in price
A day after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Centre over skyrocketing vegetable prices, the Kolkata police stepped up vigil in markets across the city to check hoarding of potatoes and onions.
Banerjee on Thursday said she would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to control the price of potatoes and onions which have gone through the roof in the festive season.
“Prices of potato and onion have shot up alarmingly. I would write a letter to the Prime Minister to either give us the powers to control the prices or the Centre should control them. The new Act has snatched the state’s powers. It is unfortunate and alarming that the neither the Centre is being able to manage the prices nor is it allowing the state to do so,” Banerjee said on Thursday.
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Parliament in September passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act to deregulate commodities such as cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes.
The chief minister has asked the police to check whether a section of traders were hoarding vegetables which could have led to their spike in prices.
On Friday, four teams of the police’s enforcement branch started inspecting markets.
While the price of potatoes in the local markets has touched Rs40 per kilo, onion is selling at Rs80 per kilo. The potato prices range from around Rs20-25 per kilo, while the prices of onions vary between Rs 40 and Rs 45 per kilo.
“Even though inspection of markets is a round the year process, we have stepped up our vigil to check any kind of hoarding which may lead to price rise,” said a police officer.
