Bareilly: District Magistrate Avinash Singh chaired a meeting at the Collectorate auditorium on Saturday to review the availability of sugar in the district and address concerns over rising prices.
During the meeting, the District Magistrate sought information from wholesale sugar dealers about stock levels and the reasons behind the increase in prices. Wholesalers said that the ongoing Kanwar Yatra during the month of Shravan had created difficulties in the movement of sugar-laden trucks to shops and warehouses located within the city since Thursday. As a result, some consignments had been delayed for several days.
The District Magistrate said that vehicles carrying essential commodities, LPG and fuel tankers were being allowed to reach their designated destinations without disruption and that sugar-laden vehicles should also be facilitated in the same manner.
Singh directed wholesale dealers not to store more than 400 metric tonnes of sugar, in accordance with Central Government guidelines and applicable government orders. He warned that violations found during inspections would invite action as per rules.
He also instructed wholesalers not to supply their regular traders with quantities substantially higher than their previous demand in view of the current situation. Dealers were directed to maintain proper records in their registers of the quantity of sugar supplied to each trader.
Wholesale dealers informed the meeting that there was no shortage of sugar stock in the district. They also provided details of wholesale and retail prices.
The General Manager of Faridpur Sugar Mill informed officials that the mill had 56,330 quintals of sugar in stock as of August 21. Against this availability, 800 quintals were sold in bulk to wholesale traders on August 21 at a rate of Rs 6,000 per quintal.
Additional District Magistrate (Finance/Revenue) Santosh Kumar Singh, Assistant Sugar Commissioner Neha Trivedi, District Supply Officer Manish Kumar Singh, District Cane Officer D.K. Sain, District Food Marketing Officer Atul Vashishtha and officials from the food and supply, marketing and revenue departments, along with wholesale sugar dealers, attended the meeting.
Reported from Bareilly by Akhilesh Chandra Saxena
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