Expressing concern over rising prices of vegetables, fish and essential commodities, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today directed her officials to keep a strong vigil over the market trend.
"The situation needs to be contained immediately to keep it under control during the coming Durga Puja festival," secretary of the Forum of Traders' Organisation (FTO) in the state Rabindra Nath Koley, who attended the meeting, told reporters.
Chairing a meeting of the Task Force on price rise, Banerjee asked officials of the Enforcement Branch to keep a vigil on all markets to prevent abnormal rise in prices of vegetables and essential items, Koley said.
He said the Chief Minister has asked her officials to stop transportation of potato and onion to neighbouring countries until the crisis was over.
Stating that the state government has already arranged to open 'right price stalls' in seven markets under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Koley said such an arrangement has also been made by the traders in another 14 markets in the metropolis.
Koley, however, described this price rise as a cumulative effect of hike in prices of fertiliser, petroleum products and railway freight.
Among others, state's Agriculture Minister Purnendu Bose was also present in the meeting.
