Reports in television channels and websites on rumours of acute shortage of salt in Bihar that sky rocketed price to an unbelievable Rs.150 per kilogram, also spread like wildfire in Dimapur with unscrupulous traders jacking up prices within hours.
Dimapur Police have also taken a serious view of the rumours and warned of action against unscrupulous traders indulging in profiteering and black marketing.
Speaking to Nagaland Post, SP Dimapur V.Z.Angami has asked those who bought salt at much higher rates to report to the nearest police station so that the “excess amount” charged by grocery stores, could be recovered.
The SP said orders have been issued to identify and arrest such unscrupulous traders and rumour mongers.
Commissioner & Secretary Food and Civil Supplies K.Tokugha Sukhalu informed Nagaland Post that the reports of scarcity of salt in Dimapur was totally false and baseless.
He informed that one of the distributors of salt in Dimapur has stocks of 15,000 bags of salt (50 kgs each); while another has 7000 bags (25 kgs each).
Further, Sukhalu also disclosed that around 45 to 50 thousand bags of salt were due to arrive Dimapur within the next ten days adding that there was absolutely no basis to the rumours.
Dimapur police, Dimapur District Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DDCCI) and some grocery wholesalers have dismissed the news as “rumour” and appealed the public not to resort to panic buying and remain alert.
DDCCI president Hokivi Chishi, informed Nagaland Post, that one wagon-load of salt would be arriving Dimapur on Friday as usual and therefore, there was no question of any scarcity whatsoever.
He also urged upon consumers to forward any complaints over exorbitant price charged for salt to the DDCCI.
Two grocery wholesalers in Dimpaur also dismissed the news as “rumours” and assured that the price of salt remain unchanged but urged upon people against panic buying as it could fuel artificial scarcity.
Another grocery store owner suspected that some unscrupulous retail traders may have wanted to offload old stocks of salt and so could have helped trigger fears of impending scarcity in the market by jacking up the price.
Chief Executive Officer of DMC Orenthung Lotha has also appealed to public against rushing out on a panic buying just because of rumours.
He also cautioned traders and shopkeepers against creating any artificial scarcity in order to raise price of salt above fixed rate.
He assured public that traders have confirmed that they have enough stocks of salt and so there was no question of any scarcity.
Western Sumi Hoho (WSH) through its information an publicity secretary K.Bohoi Yeptho asked public not to panic and also appealed the district administration to look into the matter seriously so that the people of the district did not suffer.
1 kg.salt sold for Rs150 in Bihar
Patna, Nov 14 (IANS): Believe it or not, salt was selling at an exorbitant Rs.150 per kg in parts of Bihar amid rumours of an acute shortage of the essential ingredient of food. The state government rebutted the rumours on Thursday.
According to reports here, people in nearly a dozen districts, including Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Begusarai, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Samastipur, Madhubani, Sheohar, have since Wednesday bought salt at Rs.50-150 per kg after rumours spread that salt will be out of market soon
“Three people have been detained in Darbhanga district and one in Muzaffarpur for spreading rumours of shortage of salt,” Bihar’s Food and Civil Supply Minister Shyam Razak told media persons here.
He said that people, particularly in rural areas, should not purchase salt in panic. “I have asked the concerned officials to inquire into rumours and take action against those found responsible for it,” the minister said.
With people already buying onions and potatoes at high prices, rumours of salt shortage only rang alarm bells for the state government, Razak said.
However, Razak blamed opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for spreading rumours to defame the state government and creating an artificial crisis.
“Rumours were deliberately spread by BJP to create anger among people against the state government. BJP and its mentor RSS are well-known for spreading rumours,” he said.
BJP leader Rameshwar Chaurasia refuted Razak’s statement, while saying that the JD-U has become habituated to blame the BJP for everything. According to officials here, salt mostly comes to Bihar from Gujarat.
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