Hyderabad: The civil supplies department has initiated steps to check rising prices of essential commodities ahead of the festival season.
Commissioner C.V. Anand on Monday held a meeting with traders and warned them of severe action if they hoarded stocks and created artificial shortage to jack up prices.
He directed officials to monitor prices of essentials on a daily basis and take steps to control any price rise.
Mr Anand said the department would procure onions from other states to check its price.
He requested the representatives of onions and edible oils dealers associations and president of the Rice Millers Association to give information on black marketers.
He said taking advantage of shortage of onions, dealers had hiked onion prices, which was illegal. “They are certain complaints of hike in rice price also,” Mr Anand said.
An onion dealer told the commissioner farmers in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat cultivate onions on a large scale. Heavy rain in recent weeks had damaged the crop in those states.
Onions were being sold at Rs 25 per kg and the situation was coming under control, he said. Mr Anand asked chief rationing officer Balamaya Devi to meet with onion dealers of the Mahbub Mansion market in Malakpet and with the officials of marketing department and ensure that sufficient quantity of onion is supplied to the state.
The commissioner asked the rice millers association to supply sanna biyyam at Rs 40 per kg by opening special counters at Rythu Bazaars and market yards.
