Kashmiri bread prices double

Srinagar, Dec 25: Amid the hue and cry over the doubling of the rates of Kandur Tchot, the Kashmiri traditional bread, by bakers across Kashmir, the Department of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) is expressing helplessness in regulating the prices of eatables and other essentials stating that it no longer has this mandate.

The hike of 100 percent by the traditional bakers has triggered a debate over the market regulations by the competent authorities.

However, it has come to the fore that the FCS&CA has lost the mandate to regulate the market rates since June 2023.

The traditional bread (Girda, Lawasa, and Tchochwor or Telvor) was being sold at Rs 5 but the bakers have doubled the price and selling the traditional bread at Rs 10 per piece now.

The bakers have stopped preparing items which were earlier sold at Rs 5.

“It came as a surprise to me in the morning after the baker asked me to pay the amount which was double what I used to pay,” said Danish Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar downtown.

“I used to buy 16 Lavasa and Girda for Rs 80 every morning but once I came to know the rates have been doubled, I bought only eight,” he said.

The 100 percent hike by the bakers has triggered anxiety among families, particularly the middle class and poor people who cannot afford the hike.

However, the bakers defend the hike saying that the bread rates were doubled to compensate for the increase in the rates of the items and ingredients used in making the traditional bread.

“We understand the hike given in bread items may seem as a shock to the consumers but we have no other option given the skyrocketing prices of ingredients we use,” said Muhammad Ashraf Sofi, a traditional baker in Baramulla.

Amid the justification of the bakers, the poor consumers are in shock.

“Earlier we used to buy six bread for Rs 30 but now the same quantity will cost us Rs 60. We cannot afford it. It seems the government has given a free hand to the bakers for an arbitrary hike,” said Fayaz Ahmad Mir of Baramulla.

Amid the crisis, the officials in the FCS&CA Department pleaded helplessness saying that the department had no mandate to fix the rates.

“We used to fix the rates earlier as per SO No 145 (E). But the market was deregulated in June 2023 after issuance of SO 300,” a top FCS&CA official said.

Earlier, the FCS&CA department would enforce the Essential Commodities Act of 1955 and various control orders to ensure the proper distribution and supply of certain commodities.

However, after the issuance of SO 300 of June 2023 by the government, it was clarified that orders issued using S O 145(E) of February 15, 1990, were no longer valid.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution of the Government of India advised the FCS&CA Department to stop issuing or enforcing any orders using S O 145(E).

In June 2023, the FCS&CA J&K in its notification stated that the Agriculture Production Department, J&K vide its communication on January 1, 2023, took the matter with the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, seeking clarification therein regarding the validity of notification S O 145 (E) dated February 15 under which the powers were delegated to J&K government to regulate the commodities specified in the schedule.

“The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, GOI vide its communication No S-15/1/2023-ECR&E dated April 20, 2023, clarified that any order issued by quoting S O 145(E) dated February 15, 1990, was based on an order that is no longer valid and applicable,” the notification reads. “As such the ministry advised the FCS&CA J&K to issue necessary directions to all concerned authorities to refrain from issuing or enforcing any order quoting S O 145(E) dated February 15, 1990.”

The notification reads that based on the clarification and inter-departmental consultations in the matter, the J&K government hereby revokes the Jammu and Kashmir Mutton (Licensing and Control) Order, 1973 issued vide SRO-646 dated December 19, 1973, with immediate effect.

“Further, the Directorates of FCS&CA Jammu and Srinagar besides all district administrations and other enforcement agencies who are regulating prices of livestock products by issuing price notifications quoting SRO-646 dated December 19, 1973, are henceforth directed to refrain from issuing or enforcing any order based on the said order,” reads the notification issued by FCS&CA and signed by the then Additional Secretary FCS&CA Jugal Kishore Anand.