Amid unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities the enforcement wing of the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Directorate has virtually become non functional as market checking squads are not visible even in Srinagar city not to talk of district and tehsil headquarters in Kashmir Valley. Putting virtually market checking on suspension mode amid unprecedented rise in tourist footfall and arrival of several batches of yatris in thousands for the annual amarnath yatra shows irresponsible response of the directorate of food civil supplies and consumer affairs (FCS&CA) to the increasing public outcry against the unprecedented rise in the prices of essential commodities. In a first in last several decades vegetables and fruits are available at over and above Rs 100 per kg in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir Valley and still the directorate of food civil supplies and consumer affairs (FCS&CA) Kashmir does not wake up from deep slumber to contain the prices of vegetables and fruits in Srinagar and most of the towns of Kashmir Valley. Interestingly the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCA&CA) department has already given up the decades old practice of regulating the prices of mutton and chicken to the utter discomfort of the consumers across Jammu & Kashmir. In a first in last several decades the department also refused to regulate the prices of mutton and chicken even on the eve of Eid-Ul Adha this year. As the department has left it for the traders to fix the prices of essential commodities the consumers find themselves at the receiving end for last two month. The department did not bother to depute market checking squads to the markets in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir Valley even after Jammu-Srinagar was blocked by landslides four days ago and this all happens in total contract to the practices and procedures the department was adopting to keep the prices under control in the wake of traffic blockades on Jammu-Srinagar highway in mid winter season “Chilla-i-Kallan” across Kashmir.
A “Chilla-i-Kalan” like price rise situation developing in mid tourist season and in the middle of the holy journey of amarnath yatra is very unfortunate and demands an urgent attention and intervention at the highest level so that tourists and amarnath yatris don’t leave Kashmir with a bad impression about the working of consumer affairs department in Jammu & Kashmir.
This time not only the general consumers but even the tourists and the Amarnath Yatris are also bearing the brunt of the intensifying rise in prices of essential commodities as they too are surprised to see the unprecedented spike in the prices of mutton, chicken, vegetables and fruits at the hotels and restaurants across Kashmir. Though it is a fact that unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities has been triggered by suspension of supplies to Kashmir after the Jammu-Srinagar highway was shut by landslides four days ago but it is also a hard fact that Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department in Kashmir always used to keep prices of essential commodities under control even in harshest season of winter “ Chilla-i-Kalan” in the wake of traffic blockades on Jammu-Srinagar. A “Chilla-i-Kalan” like price rise situation developing in mid tourist season and in the middle of the holy journey of Amarnath Yatra is very unfortunate and demands an urgent attention and intervention at the highest level so that tourists and amarnath yatris don’t leave Kashmir with a bad impression about the working of consumer affairs department in Jammu & Kashmir.
