Rumours fuel salt price to Rs 50 a kg

Hyderabad: The Telangana state government on Saturday sprang into action to curb the price of salt and sugar, after fake messages got circulated on social media that there was a severe shortage of both commodities. People rushed to stock up, sending prices zooming from Rs 10 per kilo for salt to Rs 40. Sugar surged from Rs 35 per kilo to Rs 50. The government clarified that there were enough stocks of salt and sugar in the state and there is no need for panic buying. It warned traders against hoarding of stocks to artificially jack up prices.

Rumours spread like wildfire late on Friday that the country was witnessing a severe shortage of salt, and it would soon not be available anywhere. The rumours quoted the price of salt in Delhi and UP at Rs 200 per kilo and warned that the same would happen in the state. In Hyderabad, some people rushed to kirana stores and retail markets to buy salt. Queues were long in front of shops that stayed open to after midnight as shopkeepers exploited the situation and began selling salt for Rs 50.

There were rumours in some places that traders were charging up to Rs 300 but civil supplies officials and police who rushed to these areas found that the maximum price was Rs 50. Ms Ruksana Begum, a homemaker, said she had seen the messages on WhatsApp. “Some of my neighbours told me that they saw it on TV. We don’t want to take a chance. Without salt, it’s not possible to cook anything. I bought it for Rs 40.”

Civil supplies minister Etela Rajender directed civil supplies commissioner C.V. Anand to initiate measures to check the rumours and control the price rise. The commissioner alerted police and civil supplies officials in all districts, who visited wholesale and retail markets and warned traders against blackmarketing. The South Zone police took one person into custody and sent teams to shops across the old city.

DCP, south zone, V. Satyanarayana said salt merchants and general stores were instructed to put up display boards to inform the public about the availability of stock and the price of salt. Cases can be booked under the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980, and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. A cheating case under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code can also be booked.