GUNTUR: Soaring prices of vegetables and essential commodities are burdening the common man, who are struggling hard to get things in order. With tomatoes surpassing Rs 100 per kg, other vegetables, including beans, bottle gourd, chillies, brinjal and okra, have also increased by two-fold due to a lack of supply.
Similarly, the prices of mint and coriander leaves also climbed up the price chart in the last couple of weeks. The prices of vegetables, oils, pulses, dal and groceries have increased in the past few months burning a hole in the pockets of the common man.
Expressing her ordeal, A Rama Lakshmi, a 34-year-old teacher, said, “Usually the monthly expenditure of our family of four on groceries is between Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. Now, it is exceeding Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000. The prices of almost everything have increased, making life difficult for us”.
Following this, the Guntur district administration swung into action to curtail the spiralling prices by reducing the costs of basic essential commodities. Plans are on anvil to provide tomatoes at fixed prices through market intervention.
As the prices of tomatoes have increased from Rs 60 to Rs 90 in Chittoor market due to less yield, the officials informed that with the Rs 5 lakh revolving funds allotted by the State government and marketing department, the vegetables will be sold in the local markets at the same price as sold at Chittoor market.
Very recently, the prices monitoring committee held a review meeting and discussed the measures to be taken amid the soaring prices.
They instructed the officials to take stern action against the traders for hoarding and creating artificial scarcity in the market.
“The shopkeepers should sell commodities at fixed prices and display the prices of all commodities in the shop and strict action would be taken against those who fail to do so,” the officials informed.