Price rise
With frequent closure of Srinagar-Jammu highway, the market prices of all essential commodities have gone up in this holy month of Ramadan. Although administration is trying its best to control the prices, but the curbs and closure of highway is becoming the main factor the price rise in Kashmir Valley. Freight charges have gone up and so have the rates in the outside markets according to the wholesale dealers of mutton and chickens.
While taking a serious note of reports of price hike of essential commodities during the holy month of Ramadan, the Divisional Administration directed department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) and Legal Metrology to start intense market checking across the city on daily basis and take strict action against profiteers and black marketers who are selling meat on exorbitant rates..
Although Divisional Commissioner was informed in the review meeting by the different wings of the government that they were already acting against those shopkeepers who were selling essential commodities at the higher prices, but people are asking relevant questions about the mechanism being adopted by the government to check the rates. People have said that the divisional administration should act against the wholesale dealers and try to break the ring at the top and not do the routine of fining small shopkeepers on daily basis to show to the people that the markets have been controlled by the authorities. The Divisional Commissioner directed the officers to enforce all shopkeepers to display their rate list in their shops.
Although the government has created a fresh redressal mechanism for the grievances of the people as now the authorities are available on social media. In order to bring the prices under control especially of mutton, chicken and vegetables, the government should first try to lift the curbs on ban for the Sundays also and should try to keep the highway open so that they losses being suffered by the traders are not to be paid by the common people.