Agartala: Amid the ongoing flood crisis in Tripura, which has persisted since August 19, the state government assured the public on Friday that there is no shortage of food and fuel supplies.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sushanta Chowdhury issued a stern warning to traders against exploiting the situation by creating artificial price hikes.
Speaking to Business North East, Minister Chowdhury emphasized that all necessary measures have been taken to mitigate the impact of the floods.
He urged people to remain calm and not panic over the availability of food and fuel.
"We have held a review meeting with business leaders today, requesting them not to raise prices of essential goods. While the government is airlifting food supplies to flood-affected areas, we’ve noticed some traders attempting to inflate prices. We hope to restore normalcy in the coming days," he stated.
The Minister further reassured the public that there is no shortage of supplies in ration shops. Although some items were damaged due to floodwaters, essential services continue.
"Currently, ration shops have rice stock for 76 days, wheat for 99 days, salt for 31 days, and lentils for 16 days. In the open market, we have rice for 27 days, lentils for 11 days, edible oil for 83 days, potatoes for 7 days, onions for 5 days, wheat for 42 days, sugar for 25 days, and salt for 38 days," Chowdhury said.
He also urged the public to report any instances of price gouging. The government is prepared to take legal action and impose heavy penalties on unscrupulous traders found inflating prices. "We are conducting widespread awareness campaigns across markets, using public announcements to warn traders not to artificially raise prices," he added.
To aid flood victims, the government has been distributing food packets by helicopter under the direction of Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha. So far, 3,140 packets have been delivered, with an additional 8,000 packets ready for distribution. Given the helicopter's limited capacity of 500 packets per trip, food is being air-dropped daily. The Minister also confirmed that there is sufficient fuel to last nine days.
Chowdhury informed that repair work on the damaged NH 08 is ongoing, with the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) and the Public Works Department (PWD) expecting to complete repairs within two days. The disruption had halted some vehicles on the road, but the situation is expected to improve soon.
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