Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday had a meeting with representatives of traders’ bodies and different department officials to discuss the price rise of essential items.
Sonowal called an urgent meeting to discuss the issue of price rise at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Guwahati.
The chief minister took stock of the price rise situation from the members of Assam Chambers of Commerce, Kamrup Chambers of Commerce and other traders’ bodies and asked for suggestions to control the spiralling prices of essential items.
Saying that the increasing prices of potato, onion, vegetables, eggs and cooking oils have impacted the common people adversely and caused strong resentment among them, Sonowal said the government cannot remain inactive in this situation as the people must be given respite from this scourge of price rise at any cost.
The Assam CM also referred to the disparity in prices of items like potato, onion and vegetables in wholesale and retail markets and warned those traders engaged in abnormal price hike of essentials of strict action.
He also said integrated dedicated teams would be set up by the administration in the state to monitor the markets and keep a tab on the price rise of the essential items.
He also stressed the need to take joint responsibility by the government and business community to check price hike and said a solution must be found to serve the interest of both sellers and buyers.
The CM also directed food and civil supplies minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury to hold another meeting tomorrow with those representatives of shopping malls and members of business community absent on Wednesday’s meeting.
He instructed the supply department to generate awareness among the public about the right retail prices of vegetables by informing them about prices at the source.
The members of traders’ bodies informed the CM that some items like potato, onion have seen the price hike at their source and said from Thursday onwards, wholesale prices would come down slightly.
They also urged the chief minister to take action against the unauthorised wholesale markets which have sprung up in different parts of the city.
Food and civil supplies minister PhaniBhushan Choudhury, agriculture minister Atul Bora and several top officials were present in the meeting.