NEW DELHI, Feb 5 � Calling for stringent measures to curb the rise in prices of essential commodities, Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi today endorsed the move to amend the Essential Commodities Act to make hoarding a non-bailable act.
The Chief Minister, who was among the special invitees at the crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi primarily on price rise, told this newspaper that North Eastern States including Assam were helpless because they are consuming States. He also complained about delay in increasing the tonnage capacity of railway wagons for the North Eastern region.
The prices have to be checked by the producing States before the consuming State like Assam comes into the picture. �Every essential commodity in Assam comes from outside the State,� he reminded.
Gogoi said he has also stressed on the need to take out the middle men from the supply chain. The farmers are not getting remunerative prices, while consumers are forced to pay higher prices. The entire cut is taken away by the middlemen, he said.
If the middlemen are taken out then the farmers would get remunerative prices and consumers would also stand to gain. The stress should be on removal of the middlemen, he said.
In this connection, he suggested that the Centre should amend the relevant Acts to make hoarding a non-bailable offence. �We have taken action against hoarders but they get out on bail,� he lamented.
�I have also suggested that in the long run agriculture production has to be increased,� he said, adding that Assam Government too was working on those lines.
The Chief Minister said he brought to the notice of the CWC, problems being faced by the North Eastern States like inadequate allocation of railway wagons to carry the essential items.
Though this issue has been raised with the railway ministry to increase the wagon tonnage, but so far no action has been taken to increase the allotment of wagons, he said, observing that it smacked of a nexus.
Further, the Chief Minister pointed out that essential commodities like pulses and oil supplies like peas dal and palm oil have few takers in North-east. It is one of the reasons for low lifting of these items, the Chief Minister said.
The CWC meeting also attended by the Prime Minister had five items on the agenda including the Telanagana issue, celebration of 125 years of Congress party, Finance Minister�s pre-budget meeting with the AICC and situation in Maharashtra.
