Hyderabad, April 02 (Zahed Farooqui): It seems like ghost vendors are active in riot-ravaged Hyderabad. When curfew was relaxed for two hours in the Old City of Hyderabad on Thursday, the prices of all essential commodities recorded four to five time extra from its normal price.
We are unable to buy vegetables and other commodities because of curfew relaxation timings are in two phases. “Hamare Shouher Auto Chalate, roz kamana roz khana hai, 4 din se ghar mein hai” said Mrs. Ghousia a resident of Fathe darwaza.
Taking advantage of the situation milk suppliers, vegetable vendors and grocery shop owners fleeced consumers.
Children affected the most in the riots when one litre of toned milk, which normally costs Rs 26, was sold at Rs 100 in some interior parts of the old city such as Laldarwaja, Shah- Ali- Banda, Moghulpura and Chatrinaka. Due to limited supply at milk booths in the curfew affected areas the vendor took advantage of the scarcity and sold milk at Rs 90 to Rs 100 for a litre.
The consumers of Charminar and other areas faces lots of difficulties in Mir Alam Mandi when they came to know that the relaxation of curfew timing is from 11am to 1pm in Mir Chowk limits (Where the Mir Alam Mandi located). Whereas their timings started from 8am to 10am.
“Har cheez ki musibat hori, Humare bachon ko jane nahi dere sirf 60 saal se upar ke log ya aurton ku jaane dere (We are facing trouble in everything, they (Police) are not allowing our children to go to the market, they just allowing 60 year and above of ladies.” Said a wife of Rikshaw Pullar from Old City.
The Murgi Chowk market near Charminar was crowded when the curfew was relaxed between 8 am and 10 am. The vendors had a field day overcharging consumers.
There was a severe shortage of kerosene at government fair price shops. Other essential commodities such as daal and rice were also overpriced.
There has been no supply of meat or chicken since the riots broke out on Saturday because the slaughterhouse in the communally sensitive Ziaguda has been shut down.
The vendors coming from the outskirts had no option but to sell vegetables on the main road itself because of limited time.
No untoward incident was reported from any part of the old city when the curfew was relaxed. But the government said there will be no relaxation in prohibitory orders on Friday.
–Siasat News