Escalating prices of essential items Posers to the Govt
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Onion at Rs 120 per Kg and potato at Rs 80/90 per Kg. Difficult to say how accurate are the rates quoted here, but this is what is doing the round on the social media but the meaning central to the prices quoted here should be understood--That is prices of all essential commodities have sky rocketed, thanks to the blockade imposed by many Senapati based civil society organisations in protest against the detention, assault and looting of two Poumai youths some time back. Last heard was one of the alleged assaulters has been pulled up but this has not cut ice with the incensed folks of Senapati for here is a case of two innocent youths made to be at the receiving end for no logical reason at all. Not that the State Government has been sleeping over the matter and it was on November 11 that Government representatives met leaders of Naga People’s Organisation, Senapati District Students’ Association and Senapati District Women’s Association but no significant breakthrough could be achieved during the talk held back then, though the Senapati based CSOs had dubbed the meeting positive. Among a host of points put forward by the Senapati based organisations, one significant point was the call to involve responsible civil society organisation/s from Imphal to talk things over and resolve the issue and the other was the demand that the group responsible for the detention, assault and looting of the two youths tender an ‘unconditional apology.’ Difficult to say if the points laid down by the Senapati based CSOs will be met, but what is clear is the point that the people are at the receiving end. Supply line cut off and place it side by side with the presence of a bunch of self seeking traders and here lies the perfect script to send the prices of all essential commodities shooting through the roof. This is exactly what the people are being forced to meet at the moment and the question is, where is the Government to address this crucial point ? The Sangai Express has quoted the price of only onion and potato and go to the market and one will get a better idea of how the existence of the common people are being gradually throttled. It was in line with the presence of some business sharks that members of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and Manipuri Students’ Federation (MSF) launched a drive to check the prices of all essential items at some of the more important market places in Imphal on November 12. In the course of the drive, members of MSF reportedly came across a number of wholesale shops selling goods way beyond the prescribed rate and in the process shut 20 such shops. There is no report of the COCOMI team shutting any shop, but the very fact that such a drive was conducted should go some way in curbing the business sharks from bleeding the people dry.
The Government is no doubt hard pressed, what with the new surge of violence across the State, from Jiribam to Bishnupur to Imphal East, and the price hike of essential commodities may not come higher up on its agenda, but the fact remains that this has hit the common people hard, very hard. It should also be noted that this is not the first time that student organisations have deemed it fit to conduct a check on the prices of goods put on sale and while this trend has been there long before the BJP led Government came to power in Manipur, it continues to this day. In a way there has been no change at all even after the BJP came to power more than 7 years back. This is where one is tempted to ask whether the buck will be passed to the earlier Governments and the very fact that the need to ask this should arise now should tell so many significant things. The point is, Imphal should get down to the business of addressing issues which directly impact on the people and while the ongoing ethnic clash is obviously the number one priority, it should not be forgotten that there are other issues too which cannot be left unattended. Address the blockade and monitor the prices of essential commodities and this is something which can be done without consulting Delhi.
The Government is no doubt hard pressed, what with the new surge of violence across the State, from Jiribam to Bishnupur to Imphal East, and the price hike of essential commodities may not come higher up on its agenda, but the fact remains that this has hit the common people hard, very hard. It should also be noted that this is not the first time that student organisations have deemed it fit to conduct a check on the prices of goods put on sale and while this trend has been there long before the BJP led Government came to power in Manipur, it continues to this day. In a way there has been no change at all even after the BJP came to power more than 7 years back. This is where one is tempted to ask whether the buck will be passed to the earlier Governments and the very fact that the need to ask this should arise now should tell so many significant things. The point is, Imphal should get down to the business of addressing issues which directly impact on the people and while the ongoing ethnic clash is obviously the number one priority, it should not be forgotten that there are other issues too which cannot be left unattended. Address the blockade and monitor the prices of essential commodities and this is something which can be done without consulting Delhi.