Hyderabad: Vegetable prices continued to soar on the second day of the lockdown on Tuesday. Multiple denizens complained that stores were running out of essentials because of panic buying. Vendors were selling vegetables at much higher prices than usual.
Twitter user Pradeep Kumar shared a bill of purchase from a vegetable shop in Kondapur. He had bought potatoes at Rs 60 per kg, onions at Rs 80 per kg and tomatoes at Rs 100.
Narayana, a Gudimalkapur resident, noted that people in his locality were still making the trip to the local rythu bazaar.
“My neighbour told me he went to the market in the afternoon, but much of the good quality produce was over. People were literally fighting each other to buy vegetables,” he said.
Padma, a resident of Gandhinagar, said the local supermarket was picked clean by the afternoon.
“I returned to the store in the evening, when a delivery of vegetables was supposed to come. Even then, there were many people there,” she said. The store, for its part, set up notices asking customers to not resort to panic buying.
The agriculture department released figures of vegetable arrivals in the city at Gudimalkapur, Bowenpally and LB Nagar showing that they had increased three times over on Monday and at least 1.5 times over last year this time.
Carrots, potatoes, chillies and tomatoes in particular arrived at markets in large quantities.
Reacting on the subject, chief minister K Chandrashehar Rao, in a press conference in the evening, warned vegetable vendors against raising prices.
“This is highly disturbing. Is this the time you (vendors) want to make profits? I have issued instructions that those who do this will be jailed under the PD Act. Their licenses will also be cancelled,” he said.
