The Hindu : New Delhi News : Subsidised tomato sale begins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 25, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Subsidised tomato sale begins

Staff Reporter

`Four outlets for a population of 15 million make a mockery of the exercise'

SOME RELIEF: People thronging special counters selling tomatoes at subsidised rate at Azadpur Mandi in Delhi on Saturday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

NEW DELHI: Long queues were witnessed at the Delhi Government kiosks in the four major vegetable wholesale markets of Azadpur, Okhla, Gazipur and Keshopur mandis as the sale of tomatoes at a subsidised rate of Rs. 20 per kg was launched on Saturday.

The decision to start sale of tomatoes at subsidised rates was taken by Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rajkumar Chauhan following a meeting with senior officials of his Ministry and the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee on Friday. As arrival of tomatoes had dropped significantly at the wholesale markets, the prices had gone up about three times in the past fortnight and even at the wholesale markets it was selling at Rs. 25 to 30 per kg and as such the retail price has shot up to Rs. 50 per kg in some parts of the city.

The decision to sell subsidised tomatoes has been taken to curb the price rise. However, traders insisted that it was not possible till the time the arrivals improved. Also, they said, the move to sell subsidised tomatoes in the wholesale markets has not benefited Delhi in the real sense. Four outlets for a population of 15 million make a mockery of the exercise and show it to be just that.

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