Prices of edibles to rise by 50 per cent

Mumbai, April 19: If April is the cruelest month, the civic administration has decided that Mumbaikars should pay the penalty. In a move t...

Mumbai, April 19: If April is the cruelest month, the civic administration has decided that Mumbaikars should pay the penalty. In a move that will stretch household budgets impossibly, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already doubled fines collected from vendors owning stalls in municipal markets while a proposal to raise monthly rentals by the same amount is expected to be passed shortly.

The increased charges — which apply to vegetables, fruit, flowers and poultry — is certain to raise prices as vendors will inevitably pass the added burden on to consumers.

Though fines collected for storing goods in excess of the prescribed limit were already raised on April 1, the proposal to raise fees which was passed by the civic Standing Committee in March is yet to be ratified by the civic General Body. An estimated revenue of Rs 1-1.5 crore is expected to be collected by the Markets Department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation with the revised rates.

“The price rise is inevitable and the BMC is solely responsible for this,” said S M Kampte of the Vegetable Market Merchants’ Association. “Licenced vendors have to dole out the increased charges and fines while unauthorised hawkers squatting on the pavements get away without paying these charges,” Kampte noted. “The hike in fines has already raised the prices of edibles and the imminent hike in fees will increase prices by 50 per cent,” Kampte said.

The last time fees and fines were hiked was in January 1996. The present proposal for hike was mooted as it was found that expenditure on maintenance of markets was higher than the income of the Markets Department. The proposal also says that “in the case of wholesale brokers, the penalty should be recovered at the rate of five times, if at the time of actual inspection the number of baskets are found to be more than the mentioned in the bill/invoice.” This new item will be included in the schedule of fees to avoid malpractises, the proposal stated.

However, vegetable vendors have decided to pass the additional burden on to consumers. “Ever since the wholesale market was shifted to Vashi, transportation costs have gone up. We try to get goods to Mumbai in bulk during each trip so that transportation costs can be saved. Now, with the BMC deciding to charge heavy penalties on extra goods we are left with no options,” Kampte says.

“As it is, there is a shortage of vegetables during summer. To compound this, the BMC has enormoulsy and simultaneously hiked fees, fines and penalties. The consumers will be hit the most,” he adds.

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As per the proposal, fees charged from vendors selling vegetables, fruit, tea, coffee, pickles, fresh and dry fish, fowls and eggs in municipal markets has been raised from Rs 3 to Rs 6 for 1 unit space (1m x 1m) in A’ grade markets. For those in B’ and C’ grade markets, it has been raised from Rs 2.50 to Rs 5 per unit and in C’ grade markets, the fees gave gone up from Rs 2 to Rs 4. For waiting overnight for unloading goods due to late arrival, the fee has been hiked from Rs 100 to Rs 200 per lorry and Rs 50 to Rs 100 per tempo.

For each vehicle-load of loose fish in municipal markets, the present cost of Rs 300 per vehicle (above 5 tonnes) will be doubled. The same applies to fruits, vegetbales, flowers, plantain and sugarcane. For parking vehicles like trucks, cars, bullock carts and hand-carts in municipal markets, a 100 per cent hike has been proposed.