Cong cries foul over surging sugar price

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 14 JAN: The Malda Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce (MMCC) today claimed that sugar price would come down to Rs.38 to 40 per kg within 10 days. The secretary of the MMCC, Mr Jayanta Kundu, said that sugar price has already started to come down after the announcement of duty-free imports.

“Today, we submitted a report on sugar price to the Malda SP where the wholesale rate of sugar is nearly Rs. 3,800 to Rs. 3,900 per quintal. The retail price of sugar will be Rs.42 to Rs. 43 per kg in the local markets at present”, he claimed.

When pointed out that the retail traders today claimed the price of sugar to be Rs. 46 per kg in some particular markets, Mr. Kundu said: “I must look into the matter so that the retailer can not claim more price of sugar”.

The English Bazaar Congress MLA Mr. Krishnendu Choudhury today submitted a representation to the district magistrate Mr. Sridhar Ghosh and asked him to control the sugar price in local markets conducting a raid with the help of the district enforcement branch.

Mr Choudhury claimed that a section of traders had old stock of sugar but they jacked the price of sugar to Rs.46 to Rs.48 per kg. The administration should take action against the hoarders, he added.

In reply Mr Ghosh said: “Action can not be taken against the traders at present without the direction of the government when the Central officials including the Prime Minister and other state officials are looking into the matter. Traders always demand present market price of his old stock”.

The secretary of the MMCC Mr Jayanta Kundu said: “The MLA English Bazaar is trying to indulge in politics in the matter. At present stock of sugar are 22,000 bags (22,000 quintals) for this district. We need to maintain such average stock of sugar for every day. In Malda, there are no such big sugar merchants for storing 1,000 bags every day”.

“In Malda more than 20,000 retail traders are running their business. At present stock of sugar for each trader is only one bag”, he claimed.

The sub-divisional controller, food and supplies, Mr N K Sarkar, said he did not have information about the programme of sugar distribution through public distribution system for the BPL card holders. The distribution of sugar has been suspended form mid November in ration shops in this district, he said.

One of consumers in a local market said: “Distribution of sugar through PDS can control the market price of sugar”.