Stern Action To Be Taken Against Vendors Increasing Vegetables & Goods Prices: TN Food Minister

Ahead of complete lockdown, vegetable vendors who are encashing the panic buying situation will have to face strict actions from the government if the prices are found to be jacked up.

TN Food Minister R Sakkarapani warns vegetable vendors for increasing the prices of vegetables.

Chennai: Ahead of the complete lockdown which will commence from Monday, food and civil supplies minister R Sakkarapani said that the government will take stern action under the Essential Commodities Act against the vegetable vendors and traders if they increase the prices of vegetables.

In a Press Release, the minister said that it has come to the notice of the government that the vendors have been artificially increasing the prices of groceries and vegetables to encash the crisis due to the pandemic.

The minister also said that jacking up prices of the goods and vegetables is exploiting the public in the crisis period which is wrong on the vendors' part. He also said that they have made teams to conduct inspections about the prices of the goods.

After the government's decision of a stricter lockdown for a week on Saturday, which is going to commence from Monday, people thronged the marketplaces in Chennai as the provision shops and vegetable vendors were strictly restricted to open stores during the complete lockdown. Prices in the neighbourhood shops were skyrocketed as people went on to panic buying in view of the complete lockdown.