The Hindu : New Delhi News : Check price rise, Bardhan urges Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Check price rise, Bardhan urges Centre

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India on Tuesday urged the United Progressive Alliance government to look into the issue of price rise with “all of its grave implications” and asked it to change the policy on retail trade before the situation worsens.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CPI general secretary A. B. Bardhan said the “unprecedented” price rise had made the life of the common man miserable. In the past few years, various rules and regulations were so amended or framed that the “government has no control over prices.”

“It is the rapacious band of big traders and profiteers who rule the roost, fleece both the producers and the consumers, and the government stands reduced to a helpless spectator,” Mr. Bardhan said.

“It is high time the government understands the gravity of the situation and re-orients the policies so as to seize the reins of prices from the hands of these looters. Anything less than this is not going to help,” he warned.

He sought effective use of the Essential Commodities Act to bring down prices and scrap forward trading in foodgrains forthwith.

The public distribution system was “badly disorganised and virtually dysfunctional.” A large chunk of food grains for the PDS was “simply diverted to the market” and never reached the needy.

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