The Hindu : New Delhi News : Mother Dairy to sell onions at Rs. 39 per kg

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Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011
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Mother Dairy to sell onions at Rs. 39 per kg

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Onion and garlic sellers threaten strike over IT raids

- Photo: V.V.Krishnan

Kitchen king: Onions being sold at a subsidised rate of Rs 35 a kg outside Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: The onion crisis in Delhi is expected to snowball in the days to come with the Chamber of Fruit and Vegetables Association, Azadpur, threatening a strike by all onion and garlic sellers from Wednesday to protest against the Income Tax raids on various traders on Monday.

However, the impact of the strike may not be felt immediately as the Delhi Government would be starting sale of subsidised onions at the rate of Rs. 39 per kg from all Mother Dairy outlets during the day.

A Chamber office-bearer Abhay Sood said all the onion and garlic traders have decided to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday to protest against the Income Tax raids. Apparently, these raids have been carried out at the instance of the Competition Commission to prevent formation of cartels in onion trade.

With the prices of both onion and garlic reigning high, the Central Government is learnt to have initiated the action to curb any kind of hoarding.

However, Mr. Sood termed the action as plain and simple harassment. “They raided the premises and took away various account books of the traders,” he said, adding that the prices of onion were high not because of any hoarding but due to acute shortage in supplies from Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The raids on about 15 wholesale traders, he said, were unfortunate. To protest against the action, the traders would be holding a demonstration at A-Block, Subzi Mandi Azadpur, from 11-30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Stating that the onion and garlic sellers at the Ghazipur and Okhla wholesale markets would also be joining the strike, Mr. Sood said if the raids did not stop and the Government did not come forward with an assurance then the agitation would spread to the fruit markets too.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Delhi Food and Supplies Department Jayashree Raghuraman said the sale of onions procured from NAFED and National Consumers' Cooperative Federation by Mother Dairy at its 288 outlets would start at a subsidised rate of Rs.39 per kg from Wednesday.

She said this would provide a great deal of relief to the people as earlier the onions were being sold by Mother Dairy at Rs.50 per kg.

As for both NCCF and NAFED, the Secretary said, they would continue to sell onions at Rs.35 per kg at their own outlets.

Ms. Raghuraman said the arrival of onions at Azadpur wholesale market was 566.6 tonnes on Tuesday with most of the supplies coming from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

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