Majid KapraSrinagar: In the run-up to Eid-ul-Azha, consumers in Srinagar and other parts of the valley have been taken aback by the surge in the prices of essential commodities, with many forced to curtail their purchases for the occasion.
While customers accused the government of failing to keep an eye on the prices of essentials, traders blame “online shopping and possible recession” for drop in sales ahead of the approaching festival, cleverly overlooking their own greed.
Distressed by the rise in the price of essentials ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, customers complained that traders are charging at will in the absence of any official checks on their greed for more and more profits.
“They (traders) are primarily focused on maximizing their profits, they do not show and empathy for the people,” Syed Ali, a consumer told ‘Kashmir Images’.
The surge in the prices of even the basic edible like bread, mutton, and poultry on Eid is harassing the ordinary people, he said.
“I paid Rs 60 rupees for a plain butter cake on Eid-ul-Fitr, but today the same cake is priced at Rs 80. The price of chicken has increased to as much as Rs 150 per kg, while butchers also charge at will….. Isn’t this injustice? Is there anyone to listen to our woes?” questioned a woman following a trader’s reprimand for engaging in haggling.
There is a visible drop in sales in the open market, Javid Ahmad Tenga, president Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), said. However, he says it is because the “people were exhausted” – that they longer have the kind of purchasing power and capacity they once had.
“I spoke to some chicken sellers, and they told me that they had a little business ahead of Eid. Other vendors also reported a similar situation. I hope everything will return to normal,” Tenga told ‘Kashmir Images’.
When contacted Din Mohammad Matoo of the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF), he said the traders are facing challenges in maintaining business, attributing the decline in sales to the recent Lok-Sabha elections.
“It takes around two months for the markets to recover from its lowest point, which is where they were during the elections. Sales have also decreased because the consumers are now hooked to shopping online,” Matoo told ‘Kashmir Images’.
