After a curfew was imposed in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri area post communal clashes, prices of essential commodities have gone through the roof. Owing to prohibitory orders, prices of all daily use items have increased manifold. From eggs being sold at Rs10 a piece from the earlier Rs4, prices of milk, bread, butter, spices and pulses have nearly doubled. Blocks 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 28 and 29 seem the worst-affected.
A bottle of water is being sold at Rs20, which on a normal day would cost Rs15. Similarly, the prices of vegetable too have doubled in the area. Entry of business vans too has been restricted in the already overwrought zone.
Taking prohibitory measures, Delhi Police had restrained people from stepping outdoors to maintain peace and quiet in the area. Although the curfew has pushed up prices of essentials, locals claim prices doubled in the past two days, making current living conditions unbearable. “Milk packets, which have Rs17-Rs19 as MRP are being sold at Rs45-Rs50. The shops in the area are shut and we are house-bound,” rued Riyazuddin.
Not just this. ATMs in the area and the cars of residents and police officers too were vandalised by the mob apart from mom-and-pop stores being ransacked. Some residents in the area have reportedly left home while others have just locked themselves in.
locals claim that while the curfew conditions of past few days have forced many to flee, others are also queuing up to shift to other parts, at least on a temporary basis. “People are running out of ration, and with shops closed, more than 100 people have left the area,” said Mohammed Ahmed, a resident of Block 27.