Rumours about salt crisis in Bihar and Bengal, which are also the main suppliers of essential items to North-Eastern States, triggered a frantic buying among people in the Eastern parts of the country, which pushed the price of the commodity to a high of Rs 100 per kg.
Authorities in Bihar have arrested 15 people and registered 21 FIRs against rumour-mongers. Bihar’s principal secretary (Food and Consumer Protection) Shishir Sinha told reporters in Patna that the profiling of arrested people was being done to find out their roles in creation of artificial crisis that triggered panic buying by consumers.
More arrests and FIRs are likely in this connection, he said, adding the rumour-mongers spread falsehood in a well coordinated manner in Odisha and Bihar. Reports of panic buying of salt were received from Darjeeling, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts in north Bengal.
While salt sold for Rs 100 in many places in Darjeeling — leading citizens to lodge complaints with the consumer department of the GTA — the price was comparatively on the lower side in Jalpaiguri where it sold for Rs 20, against normal Rs 10, locals said. “There is no shortage of salt in the districts as per the district administration and the food and supply department,” an official statement said in Kolkata. There were reports about a truck carrying salt being looted in Malda where queued up buyers lost patience and fought against each other and the sellers, prompting the police to resort to canon-charge by the police.
State Minister Sabitri Mitra blamed “some political parties who are trying to cash this in the coming lok Sabha elections.” North Bengal salt importers association JK Saraf said there was no dearth of salt in the region and demanded strong action against the horders. Officials at Malda and Raiganj said the high price in neighbouring Katihar and Purnea districts of Bihar had affected the situation in Bengal. At Raiganj salt was selling between Rs 60 and Rs 80. The high of Rs 100 per kg in Malda had come down to Rs 60 in the evening after police swung into action but in many places salt had gone out of stock, sources said.
Reports from Cooch Behar said buyers attacked shops in some places after stocks ran out following heavy panic buying. “Our relatives from Meghalaya are telling that there is a salt crisis which is going to affect Bengal in a day or two. In fact we have already started facing the crisis here as shops have run out of stocks,” Sharmila Najhinari a local politician said.
A senior district official in Raiganj said the “reports of salt selling for Rs 300 in Aizwal and Rs 150 in Shillong and Bihar have spread panic in our district though we have warned the traders against hording.” Rumours of salt shortages also hit Meghalaya, Mizoram and other northeastern States with panic stricken people buying salt at exorbitant prices which forced the State Government to launch an immediate crackdown and announce there is enough stock of salt in the State.
Arunachal’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mosang said that the State had a stock of 23,000 quintals of salt with the public distribution system zonal nominees, which could meet requirements for the next few months. Mosang instructed all DCs to carry out surprise checks to contain the artificial crisis and to ensure monitoring of market rates as per provisions of relevant law in force.
Authorities in Nagaland claimed the rumours about shortage in Bihar, which is one of the main suppliers of essential commodities to Nagaland, worried consumers in the north-eastern State. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also claimed availability of adequate stock of salt to contain the frenzy of salt buying. Gogoi in a statement appealed the people not to resort to panic buying “as there is no scarcity at all. There is no salt crisis as such in the State. Principal secretary Food and Civil Supplies Sl Mewara said the State has 6,79,536 bags and packets of salt which would last at least six months.
Five persons were arrested from Ganeshguri area of the capital complex and Abhayapuri, Chamariya, Goroimari and Kukurmara in Bongaigaon district for selling price at black market rates, official sources said. In Golaghat district, the police seized a truck loaded with smuggled salt, they said.