Soaring prices of essential commodities : Acute shortage of essentials
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 26, 2024 -

One month back, Manipur made it to the news for reasons which did not have a direct link with the ongoing ethnic violence, but to which a common link can be easily discerned.

Just 32 days back, Outlook India, reported that rural Manipur recorded the highest retail inflation in the country surging to 10 percent which was a sharp rise from the 5.72 percent recorded in April.

Economic impact of the protests, law and order situation and the pandemic were some of the reasons cited for the all time high inflation in Manipur and fast forward to August, 2024 there is nothing to show that things have taken a turn for the better.

Chief Minister N Biren may take comfort in the claim that violence has come down-a somewhat similar line maintained by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the Rajya Sabha on July 3-but the fact says that to many it is about surviving the place called Manipur.

Look at the reality.

In a ‘state of war’ for over 15 months now, with the State buffered into zones, Manipur today is reeling under an unprecedented price rise of all essential commodities and making things worse is the acute shortage of cooking gas and fuel.

It was to give a clearer picture of the price rise of all essential commodities that The Sangai Express carried the news story under the heading, ‘Prices of all commodities soar’ with another line stating that a 50 Kg bag of Super Fine rice has touched the Rs 2200 mark.

Likewise the price of a Kg of onion is pegged at Rs 65 while the price of a Kg of potato has been put at Rs 37.

Even as prices of essential commodities have seen a sharp rise in the last couple of days, the people continue to reel under acute shortage of cooking gas and fuel particularly petrol.

Making things worse and which has added to the confusion of the people is the Government notification of August 22 which claimed that there is enough stock of petrol and diesel in the State, but where all petrol pumps put up the sign board ‘Petrol Nil’.

Enough stock but nil at the petrol pump is then the story that one has had to cope with and nothing can get more farcical than this.

All indications that the Government cannot tell what its right hand is doing from the left and there is nothing amusing about this.

One understands the reality under which prices of essential commodities have sky rocketed, and this has only made things worse for the people, especially those who need to keep a tight line on their budget on a month to month basis.

The natural question is what the Government is doing to address the woes of the people.

So far nothing has been heard of any measures being taken up to monitor the prices of essential commodities and it looks like a case of the people being left to themselves to decide how to cope with the ugly reality of the day.

Everything that can go wrong seems to have gone wrong and the most unacceptable part is the utter silence on the part of the Government to the issues crippling the people.

The Rain God has also not been kind to Manipur, like in some parts of the country, but what is expected of the Government is to come out with some measures to address the woes of the people.

So far there is nothing to suggest that some initiatives have been taken up to address the issue of price rise of all essential commodities.

So what is the way forward ?

The first priority is obviously to see how to put Manipur back on the track of normalcy, a state when people would not be segregated by buffer zones and the next step should obviously be to ensure that there is a Government in place and no room should be created for muscle flexing elements to rise and impose their writ on the people.

A look at some of the small but enterprising ventures should sum up the tale of Manipur.

It does not say anything good of the Government when numerous small time business establishments are today looking at the distinct possibility of winding up, a situation brought about by a situation where everything is free for all.

Things cannot go on like this forever.

Time for Imphal to rise to the occasion and show that there is a Government in place and the first should be to demonstrate that muscle flexing exercise would not be tolerated at all.

It is when the Government of the day fails to rise to the occasion and demonstrate that there is rule of law that muscle flexing elements will rise to fill the vacuum created by an ineffective Government.

Imphal needs to show that there is a Government in place and this should not be asking for too much of a Government which received an overwhel-ming verdict in the 2022 elections.