The Delhi Government is planning to sell onions and potatoes from 15 liquor shops in order to maintain constant supply and curb artificial price rise. Besides this, the Government has identified 300 locations, including 33 sub-divisional offices of revenue department, 25 each of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and Public Works Department (PWD), and 11 in New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), where these essential commodities would be sold to people at reasonable rates. A decision to this effect has been taken at a high-level meeting on Monday.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) has suggested to engage liquor shops of the Capital to sell onions and potatoes. At the meeting, DSIIDC officials suggested that they can provide stall for onions and potatoes at liquor shops at 15 locations. However, Food Supplies Commissioner SS Yadav denied the report that onions and potatoes would be sold from liquor shops. lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung will hold a review meeting on Tuesday to assess the measures being taken up by the departments to rein in increasing prices of onions and potatoes.
Presently, these commodities are being sold at 70 Government premises at the rate of `22 per kg. This is in addition to the 70 mobile vans which cover more than 250 locations every day.
Apart from that, the three municipal corporations will also sell them at various locations. Further the National Co-operative Federation of India (NFFC) will run three mobile vans and will also open shops at five locations for sale of onions and potatoes.
The Business Head of Safal who was present in the meeting conveyed the commitment of Safal to sell onions and potatoes on no-profit-no-loss basis for the next three months at 380 Safal outlets in Delhi.
It was also decided that an awareness campaign will be launched to sensitise the people about the rates of the onions and potatoes in Delhi as well as the rates at which they are being sold at Safal outlets and at Government offices at FPS and through mobile vans.
During the meeting, the Commissioner (Food and Supplies) was also directed to step up the efforts for sale of the vegetables at the wholesale rates through Fair Price Shops (FPS). More than 288 FPS have already been identified for this purpose and more shops are being identified.