Bhubaneswar: As the severe cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ takes shape over Bay of Bengal and is expected to hit Puri, May 3 evening, panicky people in capital city are thronging shops and the vegetable markets to stock adequate quantities of essential commodities.
While the impact of the cyclone is expected to last for a maximum of three days, people have been buying essential commodities for at least a week, not sure how long the effect will last. Not only shops, people made beeline for the petrol pumps to fill up the tanks of their vehicles.
Prices of potato, onion and other essential items have skyrocketed in the past two days. Potato which was being sold at Rs 10 per kg two days back is now being sold at Rs 20 per kg following the IMD’s prediction that Fani will affect the Odisha coast in a massive way.
Similarly, the price of onion in the retail market has increased to Rs 25 per kg from Rs 18. However, it is not these two items which are on demand. Commodities like sugar, puffed rice and many more are being stockpiled by the people. Taking advantage of the situation, the vendors are also making a huge profit.
“As the extreme severe cyclone is all set to hit the state and will pass through Bhubaneswar, I bought kitchen essentials to ensure that my family will not suffer due to the cyclone,” said, Manaswini Panda, a housewife in the city.
People however, said that most of the things they are looking for are available in the market. “However, we do not know what the situation will be in the aftermath of ‘Fani’. Shops will definitely be closed for three-four days. So we are storing the necessary food items that we need,” added Manaswini.
“Enough stock is there in the godown which will be adequate to serve the consumers of Odisha for 10 days. We appeal to the people not to panic,” said Federation of All Odisha Trade Associations general secretary Sudhakar Panda.