Hundreds of CPI activists on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) office and submitted a memorandum to the RDC claiming that the ruling BJD in collusion with unscrupulous traders has created an artificial shortage of potato and onion thereby causing an unnecessary price hike of these essential vegetables.
“The prices of potato and onion started increasing immediately after the elections on April 17 and both the commodities are now being sold at double the price they were selling a week ago,” said Cuttack district CPI secretary Amarendra Mohanty.
Alleging that in approval of the BJD some unscrupulous traders have created artificial shortage of onion and potato, Mohanty demanded that the administration immediately intervene and arrest the price hike.
Meanwhile, the district civil supplies officers conducted raids for the second day on Wednesday at local Malgodown, the biggest wholesale market of the State, to crack down on hoarders of the essential vegetables. The administration has thrown open its four fair price shops in the city selling potato at `13.50 a kg.
The district Collector on the day also had a discussion with the traders to find out ways to control the prices. Traders were of the opinion that the stocks of the two items in the State have already exhausted and they are depending on outside markets to procure them.
“Due to sudden increase in the demand of potato, farmers in West Bengal are selling it on a premium, causing the cascading price hike at retail shops,” said a trader of Malgodown dealing with potato. He, however, was optimistic that the situation would improve within a week or so when the stuffs from the cold storages hit the markets.