Panic buying of essential commodities began in the State on Thursday ahead of the cyclone Fani, which is likely to hit on Friday.
People were seen making beelines at grocery stores to buy commodities and foods.
Scenes were similar at vegetable markets, taking advantage of which many vendors hiked the
prices by a significant margin.
On the other hand, Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi through a letter urged the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department to take proactive measures to check hoarding of food and essential commodities.