Chennai: Madras high court has directed authorities to consider representation of an egg trader seeking to appoint an expert committee to enquire into arbitrary price fixed by National Egg Co-ordination Committee, (NECC) Namakkal, for procuring and selling eggs.
Justice R. Mahadevan, before whom a petition from Akram of Vaniyambadi, came up for hearing on Wednesday, the additional advocate general submitted that the representation of the petitioner will be considered within 10 days. Recording the submission the judge disposed of petition.
Akram, who is engaged in egg business for the past 25 years, submitted that state government had not made any effort to regulate the procurement price/ purchase price of the eggs from the producers of eggs as it was fixed in the cases of procurement of paddy and sugarcane.
Alleging that the NECC, a private body which is registered as a committee in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh in 1987, has been playing a critical role in determining the price at which the egg traders and the sellers of eggs supply to noon meal scheme. The petitioner said the body was not interested in fixing a reasonable price for purchasing eggs from the egg producers.
Members of the NECC have joined together under the banner of Tamil Nadu Egg Co-ordinate Committee and earning highest profit for its members. Stating that the cost of production of each egg comes around Rs 2.75 per egg and the selling price of the egg has been fixed at Rs 4.50 per egg, he said “If the reasonable price is fixed taking into account of actual cost of production Tamil Nadu will save several thousand crore of rupees every year.
He sought the court to directed authorities to appoint a committee of experts to enquire into the arbitrary price fixed by NECC and to take corrective steps by fixing procurement price for eggs and selling price for eggs so that the eggs are available at a reasonable price of Rs 3 per egg or as may be decided by the expert committee.
