By Sandeep Dwivedy
Post News Network
Cuttack, Jan 11: Citizens of Cuttack are grappling with the soaring prices of vegetables and pulses.
This has burnt a hole in the pocket of the common man, said Samarth Panda, a resident of Link Road. The price of tomatoes has gone up to Rs 20 per kilo, which is nearly double the price that it fetched last winter, he said. “Similar is the case with brinjal and pumpkin,” he said.
The price of bitter gourd has gone up to Rs 40 per kilo, Neha Mohanty, who was buying vegetables at Chhatra Bazar, pointed out. The price of potato is also high compared to last year. “While last year, the tuber was available for Rs 8-10, this year it is being sold for Rs 16 per kilo,” she said.
The price of pulses has also gone up considerably in the last three months. The price of moong dal has increased to Rs 110 per kilo from Rs 75-80 in early October. Tur dal is being sold at Rs 80 per kilo, which is about 30 per cent higher than the normal market price of Rs 50-60.
Traders at Malgodown blame the state government for the rise in the price of pulses. “The 5 per cent VAT (value added tax) levied by the state government on pulses is the primary reason for the price rise. We had called a strike December 2014 against the implementation of VAT but it is yet to be resolved as the state government has sought more time to solve the issue,” he said.
“We are totally dependent on the import from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for pulses. Thus, price control is not in our hands,” the trader claimed.
