Cuttack:Raids are being conducted by the district Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FSCW) department since Wednesday at shops and storage centres after the minister Surya Narayan Patro ordered that potato wholesalers in Cuttack should not stock more than 500 quintals of the tuber.
This raid is aimed at checking hoarding of the commodity and artificial in potato prices.
The team also raided some shops in the daily market to ascertain the quantity and the price. Shopkeepers were asked not to sell potato at prices more than the officially fixed rates.
The minister Wednesday said, “Cuttack potato wholesalers are allowed to stock a maximum of 500 quintals each. Those in Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Puri can stock a maximum of 350 quintals each. Wholesalers in the remaining the areas can only stock a maximum of 150 quintals.”
The state government had in a fax message to district collectors said, “Keep a close watch on availability and arrival of potato in market and ensure availability of the same to consumers at a reasonable price. If required, action may be taken against hoarders and traders under provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.”
“The collectors of border districts were advised to ensure that flow of potato from the producing states to Odisha is not disrupted,” food supplies commissioner-cum-Secretary VV Yadav had said in the message.
The collectors have also been instructed to intimate the state food supplies and consumer welfare department about action taken against illegal traders.