Vehicles ban, Gujjar stir also caused price rise by Gargi Parsai

The retail prices of onions and tomato largely remained unchanged on Saturday although the price of garlic fell by up to Rs. 40 a kg, thanks to better supplies. It is expected that the availability of these essential items will improve in three weeks when the late kharif crop arrives in the market.

According to reports from the four metros, onion prices remained stable at Rs. 50-60 a kg, while tomato sold at around Rs. 40 in retail markets. Garlic price was about Rs. 250 a kg, showing a drop of Rs. 40 in Mumbai, Rs. 25 in Chennai and Rs. 10 in Kolkata.

The spurt in prices is not only because of crop damage but also due to the fact that for six days (from December 17) the movement of all heavy goods vehicles on the Outer Ring Road here was banned during the Congress plenary at Burari, hitting hard the supply of vegetables and fruits. Trucks were not even allowed to park on this busy route, resulting in congestion and a squeeze on supplies. The Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan, blocking road and rail traffic, also impacted supply of goods and vegetables.

The Centre has written to the State governments concerned to ease movement of these commodities and crack down on hoarders.