Despite lockdown, prices of essentials stay low at Warangal

Warangal: Contrary to the prediction of vegetable prices going up due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, the customers found it other way around as prices stayed well and truly under control and affordable. Initially, when the government had announced nationwide lockdown, denizens witnessed a spurt in the prices of vegetables and other essential commodities. However with the administration taking necessary precautions and stringent measures, it now looks like that denizens need not have to worry about the adverse effects of the lockdown which likely to be extended further even after April 14, if the scare of pandemic coronavirus (Covid-19) continues to prevail.

With constitution of district, mandal and village-level price monitoring committees, it has become easy for the authorities to keep a tab on the spiralling prices of vegetables, which threatened to skyrocket soon after the announcement of lockdown. In all, the authorities identified 42 goods including provisions and vegetables to ensure their prices under control. The advantage the erstwhile Warangal has is that it produces a wide range of vegetables and essentials that make it self-sufficient. Only a few varieties of vegetables are being imported from far flung places.

According to horticulture department officials, the cultivation of tomato, lady's-finger, brinjal, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, spinach, cucumber etc is abundant in the erstwhile Warangal. On the other hand, the administration has warned that the traders indulging in black-marketing will be booked under the PD Act. With the complaints of business establishments fleecing the people to fore, the price monitoring committee had slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on stores for selling commodities at more than maximum retail price (MRP). It may be mentioned here that the government had already declared masks, including N95, and hand sanitisers as 'essential commodities' in the wake of the coronavirus scare.

"Soon after the announcement of lockdown, the price of tomato skyrocketed to Rs 40 a kg from Rs 10 a kg. Likewise, other veggies – bhendi, brinjal, potato etc witnessed a surge in the prices. Now, they have come down. In fact, some of them are available at lower prices compared to the days before lockdown," B Rajgopal, government teacher, told The Hans India.