Government warns traders, sold for as high as Rs 300 a kilo
Assam/ Mizoram/ Nagaland: A rumour of shortage of salt in Assam following purported closure of salt-producing factories in Gujarat has caused panic among the people, even leading to clashes between customers and traders at various places and arrest of over a dozen black marketers.
The panic spread since 2100 hours on Thursday night and the source of the rumours is believed to be Bihar where a similar situation was reported.
There was rush of customers at shops till late in the night at various places, including Jorhat, Nagaon, Tezpur, Sivasagar, Dibrugah, Golaghat and Lakhimpur. Traders ran out of stock at some places in Jorhat, Sivasagar etc.
Table salt was being sold at Rs 30 – Rs 80 a kg against around Rs 10 per kg normal price in some places.
In a press conference on Friday morning, state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Nazrul Islam dismissed the rumours and asserted there was no shortage of salt.
“We have enough stock for six months. Two more rakes are arriving tomorrow,” he said, ruling out any price rise either.
He said all the DCs and SPs have been instructed to conduct inspection in their districts to ensure that traders do not sell salt at more than Rs 10 a kg.
“Stocks are being checked in the districts. We have told the administrations to take drastic action against traders exploiting the situation,” he said.
The state government has also asked the administrations to carry out public announcements to allay the fears of the public.
Meanwhile, police have arrested several traders for selling salt at high prices.
Four traders were arrested at Boko in South Kamrup, two were arrested in Chamaria, one was arrested in Goroimari and another arrested in Abhayapuri.
Local reports said a clash erupted in Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district between traders and police who were conducting an inspection on Friday morning.
The irate traders, protesting the police action, blocked the road and resorted to an indefinite shutdown of the market.
Three traders were arrested in Kokrajhar, while Udalguri administration has imposed prohibitory orders after clashes between customers and traders. Clashes were also reported from Nagaon.
Meanwhile in Mizoram, the government on Friday warned businessmen against hoarding ‘salt’, which was rumoured to be sold for as high as Rs 300 a kilo in some areas of the state.
Some shops in Aizawl sold more than 100 quintals of salt in just three hours Friday morning, while in some places in southern Aizawl one kilo of salt sold for Rs 300, reports said.
An official statement said that those engaged in black marketing and hoarding of salt would be punished under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
Flying squads, supply teams and static squads were deployed at Durtlang near Aizawl and the Mizoram-Assam border in Kolasib district to prevent export of salt outside the state and Aizawl city, the statement added.
Dimapur Police have also taken a serious view of the rumours and warned of action against unscrupulous traders indulging in profiteering and black marketing.
The Dimapur Superintendent of Police said orders have been issued to identify and arrest such unscrupulous traders and rumour mongers.
Nagaland Commissioner and Secretary Food and Civil Supplies K. Tokugha Sukhalu informed that the reports of scarcity of salt in Dimapur was totally false and baseless.
He informed that one of the distributors of salt in Dimapur has stocks of 15,000 bags of salt (50 kgs each); while another has 7000 bags (25 kgs each).
Further, Sukhalu also disclosed that around 45 to 50 thousand bags of salt were due to arrive Dimapur within the next ten days adding that there was absolutely no basis to the rumours.
Dimapur police, Dimapur District Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DDCCI) and some grocery wholesalers have dismissed the news as ‘rumour’ and appealed the public not to resort to panic buying and remain alert.
DDCCI President Hokivi Chishi, informed that one wagon-load of salt would be arriving Dimapur on Friday as usual and therefore, there was no question of any scarcity whatsoever.
He also urged upon consumers to forward any complaints over exorbitant price charged for salt to the DDCCI.
Meanwhile, after hearing the news, some traders of the district headquarters, including capital town of Kohima immediately whisked out their stocks in some hidden places, expecting to get high prices when it will disappear from the market.
However, the district administrations are keeping strict vigil on the greedy traders and by this afternoon salts are available in the state.
In other parts of NorthEast, the sudden rumour of scarcity of salt in Tripura markets, triggered panic across the state that prompted the administration to go for mass canvassing to arrest the situation.
Food and Civil Supply Minister Bhanu Lal Saha today said the state has sufficient stock of edible salt and there was no reason for panic and termed shortage of salt as ‘rumour’.
He pointed out that a section of businessmen were intentionally trying to spread the misinformation to create panic.
Civil Supply department officials confirmed that salt was being sold in different markets of Tripura at Rs 100-150 per kg since Friday morning.
‘The people were mad to buy salt beyond their daily requirement and after information spread in remote sub-divisions, women from far places also came to the market to collect salt at high prices,’ said Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Manik Lal Das.
He stated that the administration had made public announcement suggesting people not to panic on the rumour of salt crisis.
Besides, enforcement began against largescale procurement, carrying and sale of salt at high price, Das said.
Rajib Banik of Tripura Grosser Merchant Association has also asserted that Tripura has stock of iodised edible salt at least for next three months and there was no reason to sell salt even at one rupee more. (UNI)