Rising prices of essentials pummel city residents

If cutting down on your consumption translates into less trash, Thiruvananthapuram, like other cities in the state, will have less garbage woes in future.

Now, with fears of another hike in diesel prices looming large, the city residents are anticipating its spiralling effect on their day-to-day lives. They fear that the fresh hike in diesel prices would lead to the rise in the cost of rice and other essential commodities, which has been scaling upwards during the past one year or so.

Already hit by a faulty supply, the news of less number of subsidised LPG cylinders came as another shocker. A hike in bus charge is expected to be announced soon with the minimum fare to be increased to at least Rs 6. Milma is also mooting an increase of Rs 5-7 per litre to transfer the burden of rising cattle feed prices to the general public. 

Price hike didn’t spare any of the essential commodities during the past couple of months. After the recent Rs 5 hike in diesel prices, the price of rice and tapioca, the staple foods of the state, now stand at an unprecedented Rs 36 and Rs 15 per kg in the open market though the government supplies limited quantities at lower prices through Civil Supplies outlets.

Other grains too are close in the race with the prices of black gram and small gram are Rs 80 and Rs 70 respectively per kg. Even mustard has become ‘mightier’ with the prices touching Rs 10 for 100 gm. ‘Sambar’ and ‘parippuvada’ too have becomes dearer with the price of dal touching Rs 70 a kg.  

Skyrocketing vegetable prices are no longer an Onam cliche with the prices showing only negligible changes once the festival was over.

The prices of several vegetables which rose during Onam still have not come down. Chilli, beans and lawn beans prices, which had increased by Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 25 during Onam, didn’t fall even after the festival was over. Now, they cost Rs 50, Rs 60 and Rs 50  respectively per kg.

In the vegetable market, carrot remains the only solace, with the price Rs 10 lower when compared to that during Onam, to touch Rs 30.

Though chicken lovers can heave a sigh of relief as the price actually came down to Rs 83, a kg of mutton costs Rs 400 and beef Rs 180.

Fish varieties are at high prices, ranging from Rs 550 for seer fish to Rs 100 for sardine.