Ishtiyaq Ahmed
Srinagar : The consumers here said that vendors resort to “open loot” leaving the people fuming.
People here in the Srinagar city alleged that vegetable sellers, fruit and street vendors resort to open black-marketing by selling fruits, vegetables at the prices of their choice even as many mutton and poultry sellers were also found selling mutton and poultry at much higher rates than the one fixed by the government.
“I went to buy some vegetables and found that tomatoes were sold at Rs 40 per kg, cabbage and Raddish each 40, Saag 50. Isn’t this an open loot,” said Habib-ullah, a resident of Bemina Chowk, Srinagar.
Many people echoed similar views and stated that there is no check by the government as the street vendors and vegetable sellers are selling things at their own choice.
“Look at the mutton dealers; they are selling meat at the rate of Rs 600 per kg while as government rate is Rs 450 only. One dozen bananas are sold at Rs 100 and watermelon at Rs 40 per Kg,” said Gulshan Ara, a customer, who had reached Batamaloo to buy fruit for her children.
The black-marketing has peaked in Kashmir at a time when people are in tight grip of panic and fear due to the pandemic Covid-19 that has left the entire world by a storm.
Ghulam Muhammad Khan, an elderly street vendor said that he has a family to feed and the lockdown will leave him and his family starved. “I have kept less profit for fruit and vegetables while others are selling the same items at much higher rates. God is watching everything, if we won’t change ourselves at this time of crisis, we will never change then,” said white-bearded Khan with wrinkles on his face visible.
He said there should have been special teams to check how vendors are fleecing people but none is visible on ground.(KINS)
