Coimbatore: Ponnamal Selvam bought a 1 litre Gold Winner sunflower oil pouch paying Rs. 12 more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), from a wholesale grocery store on Rangai Gowder Street.
Coimbatore: Ponnamal Selvam bought a 1 litre Gold Winner sunflower oil pouch paying Rs. 12 more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), from a wholesale grocery store on Rangai Gowder Street.
The monthly income becoming close to non-existent, with her newsagent husband going out of business, Ponnamal is struggling with the burden of “overpriced groceries” for her 6-member family. “Most of these grocery shops charge us more than the MRP. Staple items such as rice, sugar, oil, and dals, are overpriced. We live in Sundapalayam. If the shops near the market area hike the prices, you can imagine those in areas like ours”, she says.
A week ago, she bought a 25-kg bag of Ponni Kurunai for Rs. 915 - Rs. 115 more than her usual Rs. 800. “If we question or argue then they deny us the item. They either say that they have run out of stock or refuse to give us a bill”.
Though this complaint is common in most parts of the city, there are areas where people are happy with their neighbourhood “anaachi kadai”. But those aggrieved are not confined only to city limits. Residents of Karamadai, Mettupalayam, Mathampalayam, Kinathukadavu, Pollachi, Pongalur and even Anaimalai lament about overcharging.
Concurring with the complainants, T. Raghavan, District Head, BJP Traders’ Wing, and former councillor of Karamadai, says groceries are overpriced from as slight an amount as Rs.2 to Rs. 20 or more per item or kg. Sometimes residents’ question, but most of the times for fear of being denied an essential item, they pay the amount demanded.
“The shopkeepers agree that they fix a higher price because they are not supplied items at the regular prices. Also, they blame it on the increased transport charges. Whatever it is, the middle class is bearing the brunt of this exploitation. The rich and upper middle class are able to buy their essentials through a simple WhatsApp message. The poor are helped by NGOs and Corporation kitchens. It is the lower middle class and the daily wage earners who are badly hit by such hike in prices”, says Raghavan.
He also makes a mention of the cable TV operators, gas agency delivery boys, and such others who make use of the situation to fleece people.
For a quick reference, the pre-lockdown and present prices of a few items - 1 kg jaggery is sold at Rs. 91 vis-à-vis Rs.65, tur dal is sold at Rs. 145/110, Urad dal at Rs. 210/130, and so on. Simplicity is in possession of bills and voice recordings of aggrieved customers who called to vent out their frustration.
Another frequent complaint is that shops do not adhere to the lockdown business timings. Those from mofussil areas say that most of the shops and roadside pushcarts work even till 5 p.m. People have pointed out a juice/sherbet shop in Town Hall that opens for sale around 5 p.m. Some shops functioned even on Sunday – a day of total lockdown.
There are many asking how to rein in such grocers who exploit the situation to make a fast buck. These are times when humanity has to come to the fore, but with that not happening, people wonder if there is a redressal mechanism to address such grievances ? Coimbatore Consumer Cause Secretary, K. Kathirmathiyon, says there is.
“There are strict regulations regarding selling packaged items at a price higher than the MRP mentioned on the wrapper. Customers who are charged an amount more than the MRP can complain to the Labour Inspector in the Labour Department or the District Civil Supplies Officer of the Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department,” he adds.
Kathirmathiyon suggests that the District Collector could direct the Labour Inspectors to carry out checks of the grocery shops. “This will enable them to find those shop keepers trying to capitalise on the situation and will also serve as a warning to others”.
Though there are no stringent regulations associated with overpricing of non-packaged items, he says that these practices can also be brought to the notice of the authorities.
“Last week a person complained that someone at the Uzhavar Sandhai at Vadavalli was selling coconuts in numbers and not by weight. Coconuts at Uzhavar Sandhais are supposed to be sold by weight, so this is a genuine complaint”.
Those victimised say there is a serious need for the District Administration to provide a helpline or mechanism to which customers who are exploited by unscrupulous shopkeepers can make a representation.
(Amutha Kannan is an independent journalist based out of Coimbatore).