Amid continuing crackdown against mutton retailers in Kashmir over their unauthorised hike in the mutton prices over and above Rs 600/- per Kg the unprecedented rise in prices of poultry products particularly broiler chickens over and above Rs125/- per Kg and soft white cheese locally called “Paneer or Chaman” over and above Rs 250/- per Kg shows that lapses in the price regulation procedures of essential commodities trigger hike in the prices of essential commodities particularly mutton, chicken, eggs and soft white cheese during chilly winter season in Kashmir. Since a simple FIR against the mutton retailers, poultry outlets and milk sellers for selling mutton, chicken and soft white cheese locally called “Paneer or Chaman” over and above fixed rates emboldens them to hike the rates of the essential commodities they sell unauthorisedly at their own whims and wishes, a stringent law against the violation of fixed prices could be hopefully a long lasting solution to cuurent price regulation row . Since row over the hike in rates of mutton, chicken, eggs and white soft cheese locally called “Paneer or Chaman” mostly erupts during chilly winter season in Kashmir due to frequent traffic disruptions on Jammu and Kashmir highway, the onus to keep a vigil over the prices of essential commodities lies on the working of the price regulation flying squads of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS & CA) Department. Unfortunately the price regulation flying squads of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department bother to launch market inspection drives mostly during religious festivals like Eid-Ul-Fitr, Eid-Ul-Adha and Eid-e-Milad-Un-Nabi (SAW) and not any time consumers put up their grievances before the concerned functionaries of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department in one or the other district of Kashmir.
“While the working of the Government’s mutton price fixation committee headed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir is mandated to review price regulation from time to time, it hardly meets once in a year and that too only the time when any conflict arises over the rates between the mutton dealers and the Government. The challenge for the Kashmir’s Divisional Administration is not only regulation of mutton but also control over rise in prices of chicken, eggs and white soft cheese locally called “Paneer or Chaman” besides working of mutton price fixation committee and settlement of the continuing row over regulation of prices below Rs 600/-per Kg”.
Mostly the said flying market checking squads don’t bother to move out to markets for regulating the prices of essential commodities even if the consumers put up their grievances against unauthorised hike in prices of mutton or any other essential commodity before the concerned functionaries of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department. What matters the most in the current row over mutton prices also triggering now unauthorised hike in the prices of even chicken, eggs and soft white cheese locally called “Paneer or Chaman” is the fact that main flaw in the working price regulation of mutton has gone unnoticed. While the working of the Government’s mutton price fixation committee headed by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir is mandated to review price regulation from time to time, it hardly meets once in a year and that too only the time when any conflict arises over the rates between the mutton dealers and the Government. The challenge for the Kashmir’s Divisional Administration is not only regulation of mutton but also control over rise in prices of chicken, eggs and white soft cheese locally called “Paneer or Chaman” besides working of mutton price fixation committee and settlement of the continuing row over regulation of prices below Rs 600/-per Kg.
