Price rise

Sir,

I am taking the liberty to invite the attention of Government towards the sky rocketing prices of essential commodities which have made the life of common man a miserable one.

It is not the duty of the Government to provide basic amenities of life to its masses, with the support of which it is in power? Why there is no proper check up of the rising prices of all the essential commodities even when there is no report of less production of these eatable items ever reported or come to the notice of either the Government or the general masses? Right from Carry Forwarding Agents, Wholesallers and upto Retailer, all are busy in looting the hard earned money of poor strata of the society. It is an admitted fact that rising prices are adversely hitting the common masses and have even broken their backbone.

A kilogram of potato purchased at Narwal is sold at double the price by the retailers.

There is more than 100 percent hike in the prices by the retailers, which is going unnoticed by the authorities concerned and the net result is that the poor man is not even in a position to provide two times meal to his family. I have quoted only the rates of above two items, whereas the rates of other eatable items are even beyond the reach of a common man.

There is a need to at least constitute some Special Teams of honest officers/officials for conducting the survey in the market so as to feed back the Government properly from time to time. These teams should have a proper vigil on the wholesallers and retailers in the cities, towns and villages. The Government while acting on the inputs provided by these Teams, to my mind, would be able to contain the rising prices to some extent.

Not only this, the Government should fix specific margin of profit right from top to bottom i.e from wholesallers to retailers, which exercise, as I feel, if put in practice, would definitely prove effective in containing the rising prices and on the other hand pave the way for the common man to lead a comfortable life.

Yours etc...
O P Sharma
Buta Nagar Enclave
Jammu Tawi

Showcasing Jammu

Sir,

The decision of the Government to showcase Jammu has been one of the most prudent decisions taken by the Govt. If we speak on the cultural inheritance of the Jammu province it is not an exaggeration that Jammu like valley and Ladakh has a cultural distinctness that is as vibrant as it can be. It is another matter that very few and feeble attempts have been made to talk and copiously write on it. Though there are some papers which have regularily highlighted the cause of Jammu whether it is cultural or otherwise but there was a need to make a concerted and sustained effort in this direction.

Jammu Festival which has showcased Jammu for the last fortnight is a step that will prove shot in the arm towards the efforts to showcase Jammu. Actually this step was needed much earlier. But as the saying goes it is better to make a beginning and the beginning has been finally made. To people like me it is as if a long spell of ice has been broken. While travelling a few days ago on the Tawi Bridge any discerning person could see for himself the effort of Jammu festival. Some important squares were illuminated and the view of the city, especially of Bagh-e-Bahu and other hilly areas under lights was a breath taking scene. In addition to it the programmes of music and those which highlighted Jammu cuisine were good. The aim has to be to give a credible exposure to Jammu's social and cultural life. It is hoped that such festivals will be regularly held so that people of the region and outside become familiar with Jammu in a more wholesome way.

Yours etc...
Trilok Dhar
Pacci Dakki Circular Road
Jammu