The moderately successful efforts of Mamatha Banerjee in setting up a Task Force to check the price hike were greatly appreciated by the locals. “Yet, the prices are not as low as they could be” woed the local residents.

Mamatha herself was at the local market to see if there could be a check to the artificial price hike. But has she missed the key link? The major role in the price hike could be the middlemen and traders. But the other side of the coin could be what is called as “dada tax” in Bengal.

The government has concentrated on shutting down the activities of the middlemen as a measure to check the prices but it should also include the local dadas, who harass the traders and retailers for a unofficial surcharge, and the policemen in the list to bring a drastic change in the prices.

These unofficial taxes could add upto Rs 8000 to Rs 15000, as the transporting lorrys travel from the origin to the destination �" Koley and Dhula Garh markets which could add Rs 10- Rs 15 on average per kilo. It is now certain that the reduction of prices in the wholesale market would reflect in the retail market only when the undeclared fleecing would come to an end.

AW- Anil