Onion price soars, Delhi govt orders doorstep sale
Govt said increase due to supply disruption after heavy rain in growing states like Maharashtra
NEW DELHI: As the retail price of onions in the national Capital once again skyrocketed to about ₹60-80 per kilogram, the Delhi government on Wednesday directed officials to resume doorstep sale of the kitchen staple.
The government said the increase in prices was due to supply disruption following heavy rains in growing states such as Maharashtra.
The retail price of onions had risen by about 45% in the past week to about ₹80/kg in the national capital.
According to government data, the retail price, over a month ago on October 1, stood at about ₹55 per kg.
Calling the rise in onion prices “sudden and unexplained”, Delhi Food and Civil Supplies minister Imran Hussain on Wednesday held a meeting with his department officers to stop its hoarding and black marketing.
Hussain directed agencies to work in coordination with each other to ensure the timely, regular and adequate supply of onion through mobile vans.
“The minister directed food and civil supplies commissioner to immediately restart doorstep retailing of onions across the city in order to provide relief to people. The same system was put in place between September and October when onion prices had increased for the first time,” a statement from Hussain’s office read.
However, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government “deliberately created” an artificial onion crisis by conniving with wholesale onion dealers.
“Due to political ill-will towards the Centre, the AAP government did not accept the Centre’s repeated offer to buy onion from its buffer stock of 57000 MTS at a concessional rate of about ₹15.90 per kg during the lean season,” he said.
Gupta wrote a letter to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on the issue and asked 10 questions.
“Why did Delhi government’s nodal agency — Delhi State Civil Supply Cooperation — suspend the indent on October 4 and refuse to take supplies from the Central buffer on the ground of no requirement of onion? When Delhi was in such a deep crisis of onion, why did it tell the Centre that it had no more requirement? Is it true that DSCSC again placed indent for supply of onion on October 9? When the Centre requested to send a team of quality examiners, it sent just two officers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry on Wednesday relaxed fumigation norms for imported onions up to November 30 in a bid to improve supply.
The Aam Aadmi Party did not comment on Gupta’s allegations.