Crackdown on price hike, hoardings launched
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 12 2024:
Volunteers of Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) students' wing took out a drive against price hike at Alu Galli, Ngari Ngalli and Nagamapal stretch today.
The volunteers, during the drive, found not only shopkeepers selling potato, onion and garlic at inflated rates but also hoarding wares to create artificial scarcity.
Speaking to the media by the sideline of the drive, coordinator of COCOMI students' wing Ningthoujam Dhanakumar said that shopkeepers and wholesalers selling essential items at the price they fixed has tormented the already suffering people.
Stating that they carried out the drive based on complaints they receive from a large section of people, he said that they came across shopkeepers selling goods especially potato, onion and garlic at exorbitant rates at Alu Galli, Ngari Galli and Nagamapal stretch.
Dhanakumar also said that they also witnessed shopkeepers not providing receipts for bulk sale.
Shopkeepers still sell goods at the price they fixed though the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAF&PD) has issued a price list of essential items, he added.
Further stating that they have collected essential items from some shopkeepers who were found selling goods at exorbitant rates, Dhanakumar said that the seized items will be made available to the public at the price fixed by the Government after consulting with the shopkeepers.
Retailers are exploiting the situation, hiking prices of all goods and this has aggravated the woes of the people who have been enduring months of unrest, he said.
Continuing that the Government should take responsibility for the skyrocketing price of essential goods he said that there is no point of issuing an order if the Government is not going to take actions against the defaulters.
The relevant authorities should take up concrete action to ensure consumers get the goods at the price fixed by the Government, Dhanakumar said and added that defaulters must be penalised.
He cautioned that every shopkeeper should take responsibility for eventuality if they are found selling goods at exorbitant rates or hoarding goods.