Rumours push salt price to Rs 100/kg

November 16, 2013

Salt_price_to_Rs_100kgPatna/Kolkata, Nov 16: A buying spree of salt, triggered by rumours of a shortage, engulfed eastern and north-eastern states with price of the essential food ingredient touching Rs 100 in some places.

State governments had to resort to a crackdown on hoarders, arrest rumour mongers and go on a publicity blitz to calm down panicking public, who converged on shops and bought salt packets in large quantities.

In Bihar, shopkeepers had a field day as rumours sent the prices through the roof. Salt was three to six times the original cost in many districts.

Rumours first started only in Darbhanga and Samastipur, but it soon spread to many other places, prompting people to queue up before kirana stores and buy several packets of salt. One kg salt packet costs Rs 16 but it touched Rs 120 in some remote areas.

The Nitish government swung into action, cracking down on black marketeers, stockists and those spreading rumours that the state had virtually no salt for people.

Until Friday noon, 18 people were arrested and several trucks laden with salt were seized from various locations.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shyam Razak clarified that the state had adequate stock of salt and urged people not to heed rumours that the Gujarat government would stop sending salt consignment to Bihar due to Nitish’s rivalry with Narendra Modi.

Bihar gets salt primarily from Gandhidham and Mokhi in Gujarat, besides Nawa City and Govind Marwar in Rajasthan.

Bihar’s food secretary Sishir Sinha scotched all rumours, asserting that the situation is back to normal following the arrest of 18 people and raids at several places.

Speaking to reporters, Sinha said the profiling of the arrested people was being done to find out their role in creation of artificial crisis about salt that triggered panic buying by consumers.

Meanwhile, rumours of salt shortage spilled over to northern Bengal, shooting prices between Rs 50 and Rs 100.

The situation came to light when some local people in Darjeeling lodged a complaint with the consumer department of the autonomous hill council claiming that salt was being Rs 100 a kg at Kalimpong, Kurseong and Sonada in Darjeeling since Thursday evening.

Rumours of salt shortages hit Meghalaya, Mizoram and other northeastern states with panic stricken people buying salt at exorbitant prices which forced the state government to launch an immediate crackdown and announce there is enough stock of salt in the state.

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Agencies
February 26,2020

Hyderabad, Feb 26: Hyderabad Police on Tuesday registered a case against well-known poet Imran Pratapgarhi for his statement asking why there was "no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad".

According to Charminar Police, the complaint was registered by Sub-Inspector S Guruswamy, who was on duty at the QQ Stadium on February 24 where an Ehtaji Mishaira (Poetry Program) against the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register Commission and National Population Register was held.

Permission for the said event was granted by Hyderabad Additional Commissioner of Police to the program organisers with certain guidelines including that poetry program should be held on February 24 from 6 pm to 9 pm, and no speaker should give provocative speeches in the program.

However, police said that the program was started by the organisers at 6 pm and continued till 9:48 pm even after police officers asked them to end the event by 9 pm. The program was attended by around 3,000 members at QQ stadium.

According to police, while addressing the meeting Pratapgarhi said: "Mujhe hairath hai us Hyderabad mein koi Shaheen Bagh kyu nahi hai (I am surprised why there is no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad)", which is "provocative" and may cause fear to any section of the public.

In this regard, a case has been registered against organisers for disobeying public servants' orders and the poet has been booked for delivering provocative statements under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Further investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir took to Twitter to condemn the police action.

"Hyderabad Police booked a case against poet Imran Pratapgarhi for expressing surprise on why there is no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad. For police, this sentence is provocative. Is Shaheen Bagh not a part of India?," Shabbir tweeted.

"Shame on TRS Government and Hyderabad Police for targeting a poet for no-fault," he added.

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Agencies
February 23,2020

Motera, Feb 23: A day before US President Donald Trump's visit to Ahmedabad, a makeshift VVIP entry gate erected outside the newly-built cricket stadium in Motera area here collapsed due to gusty winds on Sunday morning, an official said.

The entire incident was recorded by a bystander and aired on local television channels.

The makeshift entry gate was made of welded steel rods and covered in flex banners.

After some time, a portion of another makeshift gate structure at the stadium's main entrance also collapsed due to the windy weather, another official said.

No one was injured in both the incidents and work was underway to put the structures back in place, he said.

"The (VVIP) entry gate collapsed when fabrication work was going on. It was not a major incident. No one was injured in the incident," said Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Ajay Tomar said.

President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a roadshow here on Monday and later address the 'Namaste Trump' event at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera area where over one lakh people are expected to be present.

The stadium has already received 'Building Use' permission from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, an official earlier said.

It is the world's largest stadium with a capacity to accommodate 1.10 lakh spectators.

The stadium has been rebuilt after demolishing the old one which had a seating capacity of 49,000 spectators.

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News Network
April 21,2020

New Delhi, Apr 21: Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, who has been booked by the Delhi Police for holding a religious congregation here during the lockdown, on Monday urged the followers of the organisation to pray at home in the month of Ramzan.

"I request all, both in India and abroad, to strictly follow the guidelines and instructions of the local or national governments and till the time restrictions are in place and please observe prayers at home. And even in this, we should not invite people from outside," he said in a statement.

Ramzan begins later this week.

While addressing an online briefing on Sunday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cited the Tablighi Jamaat congregation last month, a major hotspot, and the large inflow of travellers from other countries to Delhi as the reasons for the spread of the virus, and said the city was "fighting a difficult battle".

The Delhi Police crime branch, had on March 31, lodged an FIR against seven people, including the cleric, on a complaint by the Station House Officer of Nizamuddin police station for holding the congregation in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Later, the Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was added to the FIR.

The cleric is wanted by the Delhi Police and he responded twice to them. He is currently under home quarantine.

In an audio message released earlier this month, Kandhalvi had said he was exercising self-quarantine after several hundreds who visited the congregation at Nizamudddin Markaz tested positive for coronavirus.

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