Authorities mute spectators
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, May 13: Amid lockdown, the essential commodities are being sold at exorbitant prices across Kashmir with towns witnessing an unprecedented increase in the prices of the essential commodities and authorities are acting as mute spectators.
In Srinagar, mutton is being sold on varied rates ranging from Rs 600- 700 per kg, while as the chicken is being sold at Rs 140-150 per kg. There appears to be no adherence to the regulations put by the administration.
In cases of vegetables and fruits, the prices are not constant and are changing with every passing day and even from one shopkeeper to another.
Locals reported that a butcher near Masjid Noor in Rajbagh area of Srinagar is selling meat at Rs 600-650 per kg. They said that they even lodged a complaint with the concerned SHO but nothing was done.
The rates set by the Government are Rs 400 per kg for mutton and Rs 110 per kg chicken. However, the public is paying more across Kashmir with the authorities failing in keeping a check on rates in the markets.
In Bandipora, the scene is somewhat similar. There, one single kg of mutton is being sold at Rs 650, while as one kg of chicken is given out for Rs 190—which is Rs 80 more than the set rates.
The prices of vegetables and fruits in the district are said to have increased manifold over the period of the last one month. The locals said that the authorities are taking problems faced by the people seriously.
In Anantnag, while a large chunk of vegetables are locally available, the mutton is sold at Rs 550 -600 per kg and the chicken is sold at Rs 140 per kg. The locals in the district also said that the authorities have been inactive in keeping a check on the prices.
In Budgam, while the rates for one kg chicken hovers around Rs 120-130, the rates of mutton are unimaginable. At some places mutton is sold at Rs 600-700 per kg and at some places, the rates have even touched the mark of Rs 800.
“There is no substantial action taken by the authorities in the district; the people are being looted, while the concerned officials are in deep slumber,” Waseem Ahmad, a resident told Excelsior.
In Baramulla, the mutton rates keep on changing like the wind. The rates vary from Rs 500-650 per kg. The locals said that the shopkeepers sell the mutton on the rates that they decide, while many complained about the non-availability of official rate lists with the shopkeepers.
While as the Food and Supplies Departments keeps on changing the rates of other essential commodities as per the need, the rates of mutton that were set in 2016, the officials said, were never revised.
On the other side of it, those dealing with the mutton trade told Excelsior that the stock reaching Kashmir is not brought from proper mandis.
They said that in the absence of special passes for them, they really do not know what supplies the concerned party sends across.
”We are not able to go there like we used to. Mandis are closed, so we are really not aware of the quality of the supply—though we are assured best—the majority of the supply turns out to be less in weight, and downgrade in other aspects,” President, All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers, Mehrajudin Ganai told Excelsior,
He added that “… such issues lead to overpricing in order to make up for the money as these days, they (dealers) demand cash payment; the govt should have given us passes so that we could go and get the supply up to the mark.”
Other in the business said that they are getting less than 10 percent of the actual supply. They said that normally, around 30-40 trucks of livestock would reach Kashmir on daily basis, but these days, we hardly get few trucks daily.
While the Director, CAPD Bashir Ahmad also agreed to the fact that the supply is way less than the normal, he maintained that the concerned wing is active and is closely monitoring the market.
“On early Wednesday morning, we registered 4 FIRs against the violators and even ceased one truck full of livestock,” he said.
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