Hyderabad, December 14: The agitations for and against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh look all set to make larger holes in the pockets of the common man already burdened by high prices. With the violence, first in the Telangana
region and now in Andhra and Rayalaseema, the transportation of essential commodities has been hit hard, rendering another upward spiral likely. Traders in the city predict rise in prices of pulses, onions and potatoes. “I was supposed to receive two lorry loads of rice and pulses from Vijayawada this week. But the dispatch was put off for fear of attack,’’ said L Satyanarayana, a wholesaler at Ameerpet. He added that unless stocks arrived in a couple of days, they would have to hold back available stocks and this could see prices skyrocketing. Consignments of green chilli, tomato and other vegetables from Kadapa, Nandyal and Mydukuru have also come down following the disturbances. According to an official: “Most of the pulses and some vegetables are supplied from the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Vijayawada being the commercial hub for such items, little has come out of the city in the past three or four days due to the bandh in the region.’’ Prices of pulses and other essential
commodities have already gone up by 10 to 20 per cent during the past one
month due to inflation and “non-availability’’. Red gram has touched the
three-figure mark, and is selling at Rs 100 per kg. “Unless the crisis is resolved immediately, we will be left with no option but to increase prices by Rs 3 to 5 over the next week as stock has started depleting,’’ said Pramod Agrawal, a
wholesaler at Begum Bazar. Officials too admit that the situation could get out their hands if disruption in supply continues. “Though it is the Telangana districts that are severely affected, other regions will also feel the pinch as supplies have been disrupted even within the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions,’’ said an official in the Agriculture and Marketing department on condition of anonymity.
–Agencies