An arbitrary hike in prices of essential commodities by traders is adding a huge burden to the daily expenses of a common man during the holy month of Ramadhan.
Citizens say fruits that witness sharp increase in consumption during the month are being deliberately overpriced in various markets across Kashmir.
At the city-centre of Srinagar, papaya and pineapples which used to be sold at Rs 60-Rs70 per kilogram are now priced about Rs 100. Similarly prices of bananas and watermelons which are quite popular during Ramadhan have also witnessed a hike. Several consumers told Greater Kashmir that shopkeepers and vendors in their areas are selling vegetables at dearer prices. A consumer at Hyderpora said he was informed by a shopkeeper that there is no fixed rate-list for perishables such as green vegetables.
“It is quite strange that rate-list for onions, potatoes, tomatoes, saag and other vegetables are fixed time to time but does not get implemented,” he said.
Fahad Ahmad, a resident of Sanat Nagar said although the variety of fruits available in the market has increased during last few years but added that these perishables are being sold at the “whims and fancy of the shopkeepers”.
“There is open loot as the government seems to have given a free hand to overpricing shopkeepers,” said Ahmad. “I used to buy a packet of seedless grapes at Rs 100 prior to Ramadhan. This packet which is not more than half kilo nowadays costs almost double the price,” he said.
Bashir Ahmad Basheer, president, Fruit Association Parimpora said consumption of fruits such as bananas in the Valley during Ramadhan increases to an extent that almost 1000 truckloads of the fruit reaches the valley mandis during the month. He said prices of bananas and watermelons are based on demand and supply factor. “2500 truckloads of melon and watermelon come to Kashmir during Ramadhan. As soon the temperature increase there is a sharp increase in prices of fruits such as watermelons due to more demand,” Basheer said.
Food, civil supplies and consumer affairs (FCSCA) department had recently released a notified price list of chicken and mutton but these prices are being openly violated in the market. While the department had fixed prices of broiler chicken at Rs 110 per kilogram, poultry shops across the summer capital sell these between Rs 120-Rs 140. Similarly, price of mutton was fixed at Rs 400 per kilogram. Ironically, a mutton shop right outside the office of FCSCA is selling mutton almost Rs 30 more than the notified prices.
Minister for FCSCA, Muhammad Ashraf Mir told Greater Kashmir issuance of notified price list is a first step towards keeping a check on soaring prices adding that cooperation from common people “can only make the markets consumer friendly,”.
“During Ramadhan people buy more. But everyone can not afford to shell out extra money for daily needs. We are trying our best to keep a check on black-marketing but would urge people to be more cooperative and inform the department about any instances of overpricing which they come across so that we can act,” Mir said.