SHILLONG: The East Khasi Hills district administration has warned of action against traders who overcharge consumers beyond the price fixed for onion.
The rate for a kilogram of onion in different areas in the city on Saturday was between Rs 90 and Rs 100.
The Deputy Commissioner (Supply) MW Nongbri said on Sunday that while the procurement rate from Guwahati is Rs 78 (white) and Rs 80 (red), the current whole sale rate in Shillong is Rs 80 (white) and Rs 82 (red). The retail price in the city is Rs 85 (white) and Rs 95 (red).
“We have only one wholesaler who procures onions from Guwahati and so we are also dependent on the procurement rate of Guwahati”, she said.
The deputy commissioner also informed that the district administration has received orders from the government to impose stock limit so that there is no hoarding by the wholesalers, adding that the administration would ensure that there is no shortage of the commodity.
“We are also keeping a watch on the situation and it is being reviewed,” she said.
When asked about smuggling of onion from Meghalaya to Bangladesh, the deputy commissioner said action would be taken if there is any such move. “There is no shortage of onion in the market”, she added.
With the price on the rise, no wonder some are exploring onion-free recipes.
A woman and a homemaker admitted that she has consciously reduced the use of onion because of its prohibitive price while imploring the government to do something to control the sky-rocketing price.
While the price of the kitchen staple continues to hit new highs every day, netizens have resorted to hilarious memes on the social media.
With delayed arrival of the new crop and damage to the harvested ones due to unseasonal rains, the vegetable has seen a sharp rise in price since May this year.
The Centre has been keeping a close watch on the prices. The country has also seen a transition from being an exporter to an importer after it scrapped the 10 per cent export subsidy and opened its doors for imports.
