Onion prices will fall in the next 2-3 days: Sheila Dikshit

The Election Commission yesterday had given its nod to Delhi government’s request to distribute onions at cheaper rates.

“Onion prices will see a fall in the next 2-3 days. We have taken a number of measures to provide relief to the people from high onion prices,” Dikshit said addressing a press conference along with her cabinet colleagues Harun

Yusuf,Raj Kumar Chouhan and Arvinder Singh. Dikshit said arrival of onion in the city from various onion-producing states has improved following her meetingwith Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar,Food Minister K V Thomas on Thursday.

“We are doing everything possible to contain the rise in onion prices. Ours is a sensitive government and that is why we are concerned about hike in rates,” Dikshit said. Asked whether export of onion should be banned,Dikshit said if such a step helps easing the price situation,then Centre should consider it.

“I think Food Ministry is thinking of banning export of onions. I cannot say with certainty,but I guess it should be banned,if it helps stabilise the market,” she said. Onion is selling between Rs 80 to 100 per kg in most of the retail markets in the city.

On overall increase in prices of vegetable and fruits,Dikshit said the rates usually go up this time of the season and claimed that the prices will come down soon. “We are moving from summer to winter vegetables. So there will be some alterations in prices of vegetables,” she said.

Asked whether she was worried about possible impact of high onion prices in the election outcome,she rejected comparison between high onion prices in 1998 and now. The BJP in 1998 assembly had lost power and its defeat is attributed to high onion prices.

Food and Supplies Minister Harun Yusuf said 1600 tonnes of onion arrived in Delhi today from various onion producing states. Yusuf said traders have been selling onions through 55 mobile vans across the city at reasonable price for the lastthree days and the number of vans have been increased to 80 today.

“From Monday the sale would be available at around 600 places in the city. The vans would also be deployed on Sunday. Onion has been made available at Rs 55 a kg,” he said. To mitigate the effect of soaring onion prices,Delhi government had last month started selling onions at reasonable rates through 50 mobile vans across the city,but discontinued it when the prices came down.

On BJP’s attack on Delhi government on the issue of onion prices,PWD Minister Chouhan,who also looks after functioning of various wholesale vegetable markets in the city said,one cannot make any comparison between prices of onion in 1998 and now.

“In 1998,onion prices had touched Rs 100. There is a lot of difference between Delhi then and Delhi now. There is no comparison between the prices then and now,” he said. Chouhan blamed hoarding of onion in Uttar Pradesh,Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh for rise in its prices. “No hoarding is taking place in Delhi. We cannot conduct raid in other states,” he said. Yusuf said market intelligence wing of Food and Civil Supplies department has been keeping a close watch on traders to ensure that hoarding does not take place in Delhi.