Amidst  inflation of essential commodities , especially in prices of edible oil, pulses, rice etc despite state has sufficient stock of all essential food items and there is no situation for panic, but a section of errant traders taking the advantages of the situation are trying for hoarding of essential food items.

But, vigilant administrator in continuation of the drive against hoarding of essential food items and vegetables, specially to control the soaring prices of edible oil, pulses and rice,  the authorities of Sadar (SDM) and the Food and Civil Supply department on Monday has conducted their raids in the wholesale grocery market of Maharajganj Bazar in Agartala and take appropriate legal action against errant traders.

Official sources said that hoarding by a section of traders despite adequate stocks, especially to control the prices of edible oil, the enforcement team of SDM (Sadar) has also served notices to few wholesale grocery item traders at the Netaji Road of Maharajganj market for taking extra prices, selling expired Ghee and selling of Bangladesh made edible oil without any Import licence. The enforcement team on Monday has also stopped selling of a wholesale trader, served notices to three more grocery item traders in Netaji Road  for illegally taking extra price on wholesale rate.

The Sadar sub divisional team led by Subdivisional Food controller, Pradip Kumar Bhowmik continued their raids in both wholesale and retail markets of MG Bazar and found many discrepancies.

The task force members have started taking precautionary measures to control the prices. Accompanied by the police, they have started visiting different wholesale grocery item shops, asking the sellers to maintain the prices within a reasonable range.

He said that one trader identified as Sougat Paul is found selling Bangladeshi brand edible oil without any import licence and the team has stopped his selling.

Bhowmik said that the selling of grocery items from three more wholesale shops, identified as Dipali Traders of Ranjit Patari, Tapan Paul and Sukriti Traders of Suman Banik has been suspended as they were found selling expired Ghee and taking extra princes over wholesale rate of edible oil, pulses, rice from different brands.

He said that the report of discrepancies will be reported to the SDM (Sadar) for further legal action against errant traders.

While the minimum price of onions in the retail markets in Agartala has come down from Rs. 70 to Rs. 65 per kilogram and princes of potatoes have also come down from Rs. 40 to Rs. 35.

The skyrocketing price of potatoes and onions is due to a section of traders as there are sufficient stocks in all markets of the city, said Bhowmik and appealed to the customers to verify the rates of onion before purchasing by visiting numbers of shops.

The state has to depend in a major way for supply from Nasik in Maharashtra, but at present huge quantities of fresh onion stock are available in the city, said Bhowmik and onion and potatoes loaded trucks are coming in the state capital continuously.

However, he admitted that high prices of , potatoes, onion and other vegetables in the retail markets and it is because some middlemen and hoarders are artificially jacking up the price and the administration have served notices to some wholesale traders and if they did not rectify, then administration will take necessary action under Essential Commodity Act, said Bhowmik.

The Food department authorities said that their regular drives in all major markets of the state capital with the teams of Sadar-SDM and Legal Meteorology department to check the prices of all essential commodities has been continued.

But, some traders are also selling essential items at much higher prices, which will not be tolerated and the government once again issued strict warnings. They hoped that within the next few days, the prices will come down and people will get some relief.

The authorities have requested the traders to maintain the prices and should avoid any kind of hoarding of essential items.