We’ll crackdown on hoarders and black marketers: Dikshit

NEW DELHI - With onion prices touching the sky, the Delhi government said Tuesday it will crack down on hoarders and black marketers of the commodity and was also expecting around 60 trucks of onions to arrive in the next two days from Nasik in Maharashtra to stabilise the prices.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, emerging from a high-level meeting held to discuss ways to tackle the issue, said raids would be conducted in various mandis (wholesale markets) in the capital Wednesday to crack down on hoarders and black marketers.

Dikshit said: “A team of food and supplies department officials will from Wednesday launch raids in various mandis to check if any hoarding or black marketing of onions is going on.”

Onions are currently selling between Rs.70-80 a kg in the city markets. To deal with sharp spike in onion prices, the central government Monday banned export of the commodity till Jan 15.

According to the chief minister, about 40 to 60 trucks from Nasik, a major onion producing region, will reach Delhi within two to three days to bridge the gap. The Delhi government was in constant touch with the central consumer affairs ministry on the issue.

Dikshit claimed that the prices had fallen by almost 13.5 percent since Monday and the stock of onions had increased.

However, she admitted that the stocks had fallen this year as compared to last year. “There has been a decrease in the stocks but the population of the city has also increased.”

On plans to sell onions through Delhi government centres, the chief minister said, “First we will observe the arrangements that we are making now to deal with the situation, and if the need arises, we’ll also open such centres.”

The meeting was attended by Food and Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf besides officials from the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED).