Consumers aghast

As the holy month of Ramadhan is all set to begin in the first week of April, the complaints about the skyrocketing prices of essentials have poured in from different places, especially from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides the rise in prices, the mutton is not available easily in the market with most of the mutton dealers deciding to either close down their shops or to switch to selling chicken. One fails to understand why the people are being pushed to the wall during the holy month as well as on the eve of Muslim festivals. The non-availability of mutton has created apprehensions among the common masses that the rates of per kg would now be revised once again, which would affect the downtrodden section of the society. Moreover, the reports also suggest that vegetables, fruit and poultry are being sold at exorbitant rates in violation of notified rate list with consumers complaining that chicken is being sold in Srinagar at Rs 170-180 per kg in comparison to notified rate of Rs 150. There is no proper check in the markets, thus allowing the vegetable and chicken and mutton sellers to increase the rates as per their will, thus leaving the consumers to lurch at large. Therefore, in order to ensure adherence to the government set rates, the authorities should take immediate steps ahead of the holy month so that the exorbitant rates of essentials are put to an immediate end and the shoppers, especially those belonging to the downtrodden section of the society here could heave a sigh of relief.