Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, July 14: The Cement retailers across Kashmir today sought the intervention of the Government in regulating the prices of cement as they alleged that the prices set by the companies keep on fluctuating.
These retailers today lodged a protested and said there is no say of the Government as of now in regulating the prices and the companies are resorting to high-handedness as they increase the prices of the cement almost every month on their own.
“Retailers are not consulted before the hike and with the result, the customers are suffering, because if a person bought a cement bag at Rs 410/- in January, the same is currently being sold at Rs 500/ per day, which is sheer injustice,” said Majid Khan, a cement retailer in Srinagar.
He said that there no set rates in this regard issued by the Government and the companies are out looting the people.
“The Government has not fixed the rates, there are no government regulations in this sector; we understand that there is inflation, but the prices cannot change every month,” he said.
The retailers said that in January, the rate per cement truck was Rs 57000/- and in March the same reached Rs 60000/- and as of now, in July, per truck of cement costs whooping Rs 75000/-
“They are eyeing to take the per truck rate to Rs 1 lakh which is not acceptable,” the retailers said. They also said that there is also a non-availability of cement in the market. “There is only 25% availability of cement currently in the market,” they said.
The retailers appealed to the LG administration to take note of the issue as the companies, in the absence of any regulators mechanism, are looting people. “There is nobody to question them while as the brunt falls on the commoners,” the delegation said.
They demanded that the Government should issue a rate list which should be adhered to by the companies. “And whenever they eye price-hike, they should consult the retailers as well,” they demanded.
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