HT Correspondent
AGARTALA, Aug 23: The Tripura Government has assured residents that there is ample food and fuel supply in the state, despite the ongoing flood crisis, and has issued a strict warning against traders attempting to create artificial price hikes.
Addressing the media on Friday, Tripura’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Sushanta Chowdhury, stated that the state has been grappling with severe floods since August 19. He emphasized that all necessary measures have been taken to manage the situation effectively.
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“We urge everyone to remain calm and not to panic over food and fuel availability. Earlier today, we convened a meeting with state business leaders, urging them to refrain from raising prices on essential goods. Despite the government’s distribution of relief supplies via helicopters, some traders are still attempting to exploit the situation by hiking prices. This behaviour led to today’s meeting, and we are hopeful that the situation will stabilize in the coming days,” Chowdhury said.
The Minister assured the public that the Public Distribution System (PDS) remains functional, with no significant shortage of essential items, despite floodwater damaging some ration shops. “We currently have sufficient supplies in stock—76 days of rice, 99 days of wheat, 31 days of salt, and 16 days of lentils available at ration shops. Even in the open market, we have 27 days of rice, 11 days of lentils, 83 days of cooking oil, 7 days of potatoes, 5 days of onions, 42 days of wheat, 25 days of sugar, and 38 days of salt. Both the PDS and open markets are well-stocked. If any trader is found inflating prices, we urge the public to report it. Strict action, including fines and legal proceedings, will be taken against those violating the rules,” he affirmed.
Additionally, announcements will be made across markets in the state, instructing traders not to raise prices or create unnecessary panic.
Minister Chowdhury also shared that Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has directed the food department to distribute food packets via helicopters to flood-affected areas.
“So far, 3,140 food packets have been distributed, with another 8,000 ready for dispatch. Each helicopter can carry up to 500 packets at a time. We began air-dropping supplies yesterday, and the effort will continue,” he said.
Chowdhury further noted that fuel supplies are also stable, with sufficient reserves for nine days. Despite damages to National Highway 8, repair work is underway, and the road is expected to reopen within the next two days, allowing stranded vehicles to resume transport.
