Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil on Wednesday directed District Collectors to take urgent steps to control the rise in prices of vegetables and other essential commodities.
The Collectors have been asked to conduct inspections within their jurisdictions, given the reports on the steep increase in the prices of essential commodities including vegetables and chicken. Mr. Anil also directed the price monitoring committees headed by the Collectors to meet regularly to ensure that the prices remain stable in the markets.
The decisions were taken at a meeting attended by the District Collectors, the Civil Supplies Commissioner amd senior food and civil supplies officials.
The inspections are to be led by officers of the rank of Additional District Magistrate, Revenue Divisional Officer or Assistant Collectors. District collectors should also hold discussions with wholesale dealers and examine whether the prices have been jacked up artificially, Mr. Anil said.
Surveillance by the monitoring committees will be stepped up, given the trend of prices going up in the run-up to the Onam season, Mr. Anil said.
Meanwhile, BJP State president K. Surendran, in a statement, said the state government had failed in preventing price rise in the market.
