The unprecedented hike in prices of essential commodities has brought a severe crisis in people’s lives across the country. The constant price hike of essentials has dealt a blow to the poor and the middle-income group of people.
The sufferings, caused by the unusual price hike, are even more for the middle-class people as they cannot share that they have little or no food at home. Prices of almost all essential commodities have gone up, making it difficult for the common man to meet their daily needs.
The soaring prices of essentials like rice, pulse, onion and vegetables, are forcing many to rush to TCB OMS trucks to buy their commodities at lower prices. People across the country have urged the government to take prompt, effective steps to lower prices of daily essentials, including rice, pulses, edible oil and eggs.
We think the number of poor people will increase, and public sufferings will deepen further, due to the continuous price hike of essentials. The government’s priority now should be to check the price hike of essentials and control the market as it directly affects people's daily life.
However, this is a big challenge. The steps so far taken regarding price control by the authorities concerned seem to have become futile. The authorities concerned remains committed to curb prises as soon as possible at any cost by striking at the syndicate and stopping extortion.
Prices of almost all essential
commodities have gone up, making
it difficult for the common man to
meet their daily needs
We hope the interim government will find a solution immediately as it is very sincere. We expect that scope will be created very soon to dismantle the syndicate and stop extortion.
In this regard, the government on Monday has already formed a “special taskforce” to monitor and review the market situation and supply chain of essentials at the district level.
Additional Deputy Commissioner will be the convener of this special task force, while Assistant Director of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) will be the member secretary. Additional Superintendent of Police, District Food Controller or appropriate representative, District Livestock Officer or appropriate representative, District Fisheries Officer or appropriate representative, Agriculture Marketing Officer or Senior Agricultural Marketing Officer, CAB representative and two student representatives will be members of the task force.
The task force must regularly visit different markets, large warehouses, godowns/cold storage and other places of the supply chain, and also monitor the issue of keeping the prices of essential commodities at a reasonable level. The task force will also have to ensure that the price difference between production, wholesale and consumer levels remain at minimum level and would exchange views with all stakeholders in this regard.
Though the high command of the government issued a note of caution against the hoarders and market manipulators of essential commodities, prices of essentials keep climbing with no end in sight. Concerned ministries also cautioned the unholy syndicate, some corporate houses, millers, wholesalers and retailers involved in hoarding rice, other food grains and essential commodities.
They have also been warned to get prepared to land in jail unless they correct themselves. But the fact remains that an organised syndicate comprising a section of traders, wholesalers and millers are still hiking the prices of daily essentials under the very nose of the authorities concerned.
Though an intelligence agency earlier identifying the members of this unholy nexus submitted a list to authorities concerned, they remain still untouched. No legal action has been taken against the identified dishonest traders, wholesalers and millers yet.
As a result, they have become desperate to make profit by a large margin in dishonest and unethical ways. The prices of essential commodities are going up due to the excessive greed of traders.
By now it is clear that soft measures won’t work to tame prices and that is why the authorities must get tough with the syndicate or cartel or whoever is responsible for unusual price hike.
