HYC demands price monitoring to check inflation

Shillong, Aug 1: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) on Monday questioned the state government’s inaction in controlling spiralling prices of essential goods, including LPG cylinders, and suggested that price monitoring be done at regular intervals.

In a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, HYC said the government has, so far, taken no steps to curb the price rise as promised by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong in May.

“The problem of skyrocketing prices of essential commodities including LPG Cylinders for domestic purposes has become an issue of a great concern for the people of the state… the common man has only started the recovering process from the severe losses incurred. As such the increase in prices of essential commodities will only weaken their ability to regain financial stability,” the letter read.

HYC also demanded that a Price Monitoring Agency (PMA) be set up in the Department of Consumer Affairs that will monitor prices of selected essential commodities, both retail and wholesale, on a daily basis. PMA should analyse price situation and provide feedback for taking preventive measures to help policy interventions at appropriate time.

The organisation also suggested that price monitoring of selected essential items should be done by collecting data from such markets/locations in the State on a daily or weekly basis and keep the data of prices in a public domain through the dedicated cell of the Consumer Affairs Department.

A dedicated committee under the chairmanship of the minister concerned should be established to take decisions and appropriate action to check price rise and to provide relief to the consumers of the State.

HYC demanded that the state should have a dedicated Price Stabilisation Fund with a corpus fund of a considerable amount to tackle inflation.

It also wanted the Centre to include more beneficiaries under the Ujwala Yojana Scheme for providing subsidised LPG cylinders in the state.

“Taxes levied on Petrol and diesels and LPG Cylinders should be reduced considerably in order to control prices. GST levied on food products as well as other essential commodities should be reduced or waived off completely,” It added.

Hoarding or black-marketing activities of identified essential commodities should be checked and dealt with stringently under the relevant provisions of law. Transportation or sale of essential commodities including vegetables produced within the State to other States or Country should be banned for the time being, HYC said.

In another letter to Tynsong, HYC asked the minister to clarify the inflated project cost for installing smart meters.

Last month, the organisation pointed out the cost anomaly. (Read: HYC points out anomaly in smart meter project cost)

“For the interest of the general public of the State, we would like to know what are the other components of the Contract which made up to an amount of Rs 113,839,7306/- when the cost as provided by you as per calculation should be only Rs Rs 1191242037/-,” the HYC letter read.