Srinagar, Dec 1, KNT: Soaring prices of essential commodities have pushed consumers across the Kashmir Valley into financial distress, with no visible government control, no accountability, and no authority seen regulating the market.
Despite the Srinagar-Jammu highway remaining open continuously, food prices have touched record highs, exposing the failure of the administration to regulate supply chains or enforce price control mechanisms.
A tray of eggs is currently being sold at Rs 240 in Srinagar and adjoining districts, while one kilogram of chicken has climbed to Rs 170. Vegetables and fruits are being sold without any fixed pricing, with shopkeepers openly ignoring official rate lists and charging prices at will.
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Consumers say there is complete confusion over who controls the market. There is no clarity on whether the Food and Supplies Department, municipal authorities or district administrations are responsible for fixing rates or enforcing compliance. In the absence of state monitoring, several private trader associations are allegedly fixing prices arbitrarily, effectively dictating market terms.
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Locals across the Valley say rate lists pasted outside shops remain meaningless as sellers charge vastly different amounts inside. Complaints filed with officials yield no result, and surprise inspections have become rare, allowing traders to continue unchecked.
The result is visible on every street corner and roadside cart. Vegetables change price daily, chicken rates vary from area to area, and daily essentials have become unaffordable for middle-class and working-class families alike.
“There is total anarchy in the market,” a local from Dalgate Srinagar told the news agency Kashmir News Trust. “No one knows who has the authority. Traders decide prices in the morning and change them by evening.”
Consumer rights groups say the government’s silence has emboldened sellers while honest traders are pushed into compliance with illegal pricing practices.
Public outrage is mounting as authorities remain missing from the field, leaving market control in the hands of private bodies and individual traders.
With rising winter demand and no government intervention in sight, consumers fear further hikes in the coming weeks, deepening the burden on households already struggling with high unemployment and shrinking incomes. [KNT]
