Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 21, 2010:
A seminar on price hike in the state held at Hotel Classic, North AOC today recommended the State and the Central governments to take steps to control prices of essential commodities at the earliest.
The seminar was organised by the Consumers� Club, Manipur under the theme "Price rise in Manipur:Today and Tomorrow".
Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board, MLA Bijoy Koijam was the chief guest at the inaugural function.
President of Consumers� Club, W Manglem presided over, while former member of the Steering Committee of Vision 2020 Prof N Mohendro attended as the guest of honour.
Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board, Bijoy Koijam, speaking on the occasion observed that price rise in the state where there are frequent economic blockades and bandh is not a surprise one.
Almost everything needed in the state are imported from outside the state.
Trucks transporting these items on the highways are paying huge extortion to uncountable number of underground groups imposing "illegal taxes" to them and frequent economic blockades on the highways are the main region behind the sky rocking of prices of the essential commodities, Bijoy said.
Apart from this, he further observed that in the state businessmen are selling goods to the prices fixed by themselves.
Customers are also buying the goods without knowing the quality and actual rates of the goods.
In such situation, there is the need for concerted effort of the government and people to control price hike, he added.
Prof Mohendro, editor of Sanaleibak, A Mobi, social worker Chintam Luwang etc.
also talked at the seminar.
They blamed that some rich men, politicians and businessmen are fixing the prices of the goods in the state at their own wills.