Following the widespread protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Assam, prices of essential commodities- especially vegetables- have skyrocketed in Dimapur and other parts of Nagaland.
Curfew has been clamped various parts of Assam including Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Jorhat, following which movement of vehicles carrying essential commodities into the state has stopped completely.
Neither vehicles are entering Assam nor are they being able to leave the state and this has affected in the supply of essential commodities to rest of Northeast including Nagaland.
The supply of fresh vegetable stock into Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram has been severely affected so that its prices in Nagaland have skyrocketed.
“There is a shortage of fresh vegetable,” said a vegetable vendor in Dimapur while talking to Northeast Now.
“Onion is sold at Rs 120-140 per kilograms and potatoes are also priced around Rs 80-90 per kilograms,” he added.
“There is no fresh stock and whatever stock we have are almost exhausted,” he added.
Grocery stores also have similar stories to tell and as the stocked food items are nearly exhausted.
“Situation is going to get worse if the protests continue. We appeal the government to lift the curfew immediately,” said a grocery store owner in Dimapur.
“If the same situation continues for the next couple of days, then we will not be able to meet the demands in the coming days,” said a fish vendor.
Meanwhile, DMC administrator Albert Ezung urged the public to not panic and assured that there was “enough stock” to last for at least over three months.
Ezung informed that the Dimapur district administration was mulling to provide police protection to ferry in trucks, carrying essential commodities, that have been stranded due to the situation in Assam.