Hike in price of essential goods presents challenging task to authorities in Dimapur

Our Reporter

Dimapur, Aug. 25 (EMN): The Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has set the price for all essential commodities to regulate inflation by vendors but it appears to be a challenging task, given the huge difference in price of all commodities in the market.

When Eastern Mirror inquired about the price in some markets in Dimapur, it was found that the retailers’ price fluctuated against the price set by the DMC. The price of green chilly set by the DMC is INR 180 at retail but in one of the markets in Dimapur, it was found being sold at INR 200; cabbage set at INR 25 per kg cost around INR 40; brinjal set at INR 30-35 was around INR 40; tomato set at INR 65-70 per kg was around INR 70-80.

Potatoes and eggs in the market were similar to the price set by DMC at INR 40 and INR 170 respectively while ladies fingers (okra) were being sold at around INR 50 per kg in the market against the price set by the DMC at INR 35.

Poultry is another lucrative moneymaker for the traders. A chicken seller at a bazaar was selling a kilo of broiler chicken for INR170 against the set price of 140. When queried about the increased price rate, a vendor said that stocks of broiler chicken were not available in the wholesale market.

Dressed layer chicken were being sold at an even higher rate than the broiler chicken at around INR 280 per kg.

According to a DMC official, every day the price chart is sent to colony authorities through WhatsApp in order to update the price rate of essential commodities in their respective colonies.

He also informed that they receive around nine to 10 complaints per day about price hike.

When asked about the action taken by the DMC regarding the complaints, he informed that when they receive a complaint, they send their officials ‘to look into the matter’ on the same day.

He added that in order to take action, they have to inquire and ‘check both the parties’. If found guilty, action is taken against the vendors, he said.

In order to check the price at which the vendors sell items, the officials from the DMC are sent to the location as customers, he added.

The official also informed that the complainant’s identity is kept confidential if requested and added that the wholesale price is ‘very difficult to be fixed as it fluctuates every now and then.’

He added that the price margin is kept around INR 10 between wholesale and retail for most of the essential commodities.

‘Nowadays lots of local vegetable vendors are coming up and some of them are selling it due to financial crisis and it very difficult to impose fine on the vendors as it is their only income; moreover, the income from vegetable is very less,’ he added.