‘Mandis’ In Delhi Will Be Inspected Daily To Keep Vegetable Prices Under Check

On Tuesday, the Food & Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain directed officials to carry out regular inspections at some of Delhi’s most popular wholesale vegetable markets. The list includes names like Azadpur Mandi, Okhla Mandi, Ghazipur Mandi, and Keshopur Mandi. The ordinance, which comes in wake of a sudden hike in the prices of onions and tomatoes, aims to keep hoarding of goods at bay and prices within control.

The decision was taken during a meeting attended by the Food and Civil Supplies Commissioner and other senior officers. These inspections will also be carried out at retail markets in different parts of the Capital.

Teams of officers from the Market Intelligence Cell, Enforcement Branch and Circle Offices of the Food and Civil Supplies Department will visit the mandis and their godowns as well. The inspections will reportedly be carried out between 3am to 7am because that is when the food items reach the wholesale shops.

Retail prices of tomatoes have shot up from INR 68 per kg on July 3 to INR 100 per kg on 31st July, while the wholesale price remains at around INR 62 per kg. Meanwhile, onions have increased gone from INR 21 to INR 27 per kg during the same period, while its wholesale price varied between INR 3.75 to INR 20 per kg on July 31, 2017.

Additionally, on Monday, prices of vegetables including tomatoes and capsicum touched INR 100 per kilogram and coriander touched INR 200 per kg due to a day long strike against alleged corrupt practices at the Azadpur mandi.