WE THE PEOPLE
With prevailing uncertainty, soaring prices not only of essential commodities but also of other goods remain unchecked in Kashmir valley
Hence people Urge State functionaries and Civil Society to launch joint drive against black-marketing, profiteering and hoarding to provide relief to them
By: Khalid Qadri
Srinagar: It is a well established fact that anti-social elements always wait in the wings to take advantage of fluid situation and thus virtually rule the roost. They work under a well-devised strategy and take recourse to hoarding first and thus create artificial scarcity. Then field becomes clear for them to fix prices of consumable and non-consumable commodities with no one to challenge them. Such a scenario puts question mark on the functional mechanism of the State functionaries as they are armed with powers to haul the culprits. The Watchers of the situation accuse them of apathy and sheer indifference. Even some charge them with connivance and collusion. Whatever the factors, but it becomes clear that common masses are fleeced beyond description.
Although CAPDD officials are charged with the responsibility of exercising frequent checks on markets, yet there is no appreciable change in the behavioral attitude of the dealers. It seems the sharks of the society have lost all moral and human values and are swayed away by materialistic considerations. The attitude of some of the druggists is all the more inhuman as they have been indulging in hiking prices of drugs beyond common man’s financial capacity. Had the checking squads been conscious of their official obligations, the prevailing situation would not have become so grim today. Thus the government officials having failed to control prices and discourage hoarding and profiteering, so it becomes obligatory on the part of the Civil Society to rise to the occasion and launch a crusade against law-breakers to provide relief to the common people, especially those who are living below poverty line.
It is a fact that increasing prices of essential commodities has become a worldwide phenomenon and has caught headlines of Newspapers. Their intensity was witnessed in Parliament when the opposition parties lashed out at the government for its failure to control prices and tame inflation. Failure to tame inflation has placed the government in the dock. This became the cause for separation of the Allies at the Center. Later the Central Government decided to import one million tones of edible oil and 15 lakh tones of pulses to control prices but such steps too have failed to bring down prices so for in the country. It is also a fact that the government abolished import duty on edible oils and pulses but this too failed to yield positive dividends. It is also a fact that the Central Government constituted a committee headed by planning commission member and asked it to go into the forward market commissions. Later the Prime Minister impressed upon Chief Ministers to take steps to control inflation but there is no perceptible change at the ground level. The government is accusing the steel and cements companies of carterlization and has asked the industry to behave failing which the government would take tough administrative measures.
“As a matter of fact, there is no bar for the State Governments to raid, prosecute and convict the hoarders and profiteers. The Essential Commodities Act is very clear about dealing with such persons who indulge in black-marketing, profiteering and hoarding. It is alleged that Public Distribution System has turned into a leaking system and 36% of the food grains supplied for public distribution system do not reach the beneficiaries. It becomes, therefore, necessary for the government to overhaul the said department to plug all loopholes to provide relief to those who are in dire need for the same. It is further learnt that the Central Government has realized that there was a case for containing and moderating liquidity since money supply is the main driver for inflation. The J&K Government must also take necessary steps to remedy the situation,” said a group of knowledgeable persons of Kashmir valley.
Therefore, it would be desirable that Civil Society and State functionaries join hands and launch a joint drive against sharks of Kashmir valley. The drive against all those indulging in such unlawful activities can go a long way to curb black-marketing, profiteering and hoarding besides develop a sense of security among common masses. Whether this is done remains to be seen!
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