Bhubaneswar, May 4: Dal, an integral part of Odia lunch, is set to vanish from the common man's menu with it becoming significantly costlier over the past few days.
The price of arhar dal has crossed the mark of Rs 100-a-kilogram mark.
However, the state government said it was not intervening because pulses did not come under the essential commodities act. "We have got a few complaints from various quarters and are keeping a close watch on the market. We have not intervened so far," said food and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma.
Arhar dal is being sold at Rs 104 at the retail market and moong dal at Rs 112 a kg. The prices of other pulses have also shot up over the past few days. The really worrying fact is that the price of arhar dal went up by Rs 500 a quintal today in the wholesale market and its impact is likely to be felt in the retail market from tomorrow.
Odisha Byabasasi Sangha secretary Sudhakar Panda said: "The rate of pulses is not under our control. It is not under the control of the state government either. The retail price of dal is likely to go up further from tomorrow. It is time that the state and the Centre intervened."
Panda, who has been in the business for the past three decades, cited few reasons for the rise in the price of pulses.
"Only a month ago, onion and dal were placed in the national exchange of commodity and derivatives. Now, big players are deciding the price," he said, adding that when a similar situation had arisen in 2010, the then UPA government had to remove the two items from the national stock exchange following a public outcry. He said the recent spells of rain had affected the sowing of dal and that also had an impact on the price.
"The state government should, for the time being, withdraw the five per cent VAT on dal. That will price down the price by Rs 5 to Rs 7 a kilogram," he said.
The increase in the price of pulses will also affect the Mahaprasad cooked at the Puri Jagananth temple. Secretary of the Bada Suara Niyog (the association that cooks food for Lord Jagannath) Biswanth Samantara said: "We will manage with the stock of dal we have for 15 days. If the price increases further, it will certainly affect us."
