Telangana: Price panels go defunct

Hyderabad: Price regulatory committees comprising officials at state and district levels have become defunct in Telangana even as prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing.

Though it is nearly a month since the Centre issued a notification bringing onions and potatoes under Essential Commodities Act 1955, the Telangana government could not initiate measures to control hoarding and blackmarketing of onions by traders which led to onion prices crossing the Rs 50 per kg in the retail market.

The Act empowers civil supplies officials to book cases against traders resorting to black marketing under Section 6-A, but it remains only on paper. In every district, the price regulatory committees have been set up, which comprise of joint collector as chairman, district civil supplies officer as coordinator and officials from agriculture, horticulture, marketing, markfed departments as members, besides representatives from various traders associations.

Whenever prices of essential commodities escalate, these committees should meet and discuss measures to be taken to control prices. Though prices of commodities in Telangana increased to unprecedented levels, especially since summer this year, hardly have these committees met so far. Not only onions, the prices of rice, pulses, oil and vegetable have increased sharply during the last three months making them unaffordable for common people.

While adverse weather conditions like unseasonal rains and drought conditions contributed to price rise to some extent, hoarding of stocks and blackmarketing of commodities compounded the problem further.

Consumers complain that the traders are trying to exploit the current situation to their advantage and creating artificial shortage of essential commodities to escalate prices by resorting to hoarding, which is an offence under Section 6-A of the Essential Commodities Act.

Marketing minister T. Harish Rao who reviewed the prices of essential commodities, said, “The government has decided to strengthen the price regulatory committees in all districts. District collectors have been asked to revive these committees on a priority basis. It was also decided to rope in the vigilance department to conduct raids on hoarders and black marketeers.”

He directed officials to control the prices of onions and potatoes and see that they are brought under the Essential Commodities Act and cases can be booked against traders flouting norms.