Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Oct. 26: The price of arhar dal has come down by Rs 25 a kg following consistent raids against hoarders by the state government in the past one week. Traders have also been made to maintain stocks within permissible limits.

As a result of the crackdowns, arhar dal is now available in the retail market at Rs 165 per kg against last week's price of Rs 190 to Rs 200 a kg. Prices of other varieties of dal had also gone up in the state.

Officials of the food and consumer welfare department have so far seized around 200 tonnes of arhar dal in 18 districts of the state. As the raids continued, a delegation of the Odisha Byabasahi Mahasangha and the Cuttack Chamber of Commerce today met food and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma, urging him to come out with a statement on stock limits of dal for godowns within 15 days.

The minister said: "We have asked traders to display prices of dal and the stocks available with them from October 28." He also said the state government would hold meetings with traders and social activists active in the field of food protection every two months to keep tabs on the prices of essential commodities.

On the issue of waiving off the value added tax (VAT) on pulses, the minister said: "A high-level committee has been formed to examine the demand. Based on its recommendation, the government will take a decision."

The state government imposes 5 per cent VAT on pulses.

Mahasangh secretary Sudhakar Panda said talks with the state government had been fruitful and the pulse prices would come down to Rs 100 in the next 15 days. "The traders will shortly submit a draft proposal regarding fixation of the stock limits in the larger interest of consumers across the state to the high-level committee for approval," said Panda.

Panda said the state government had fixed stock limits for various essential committees in 2010 without consulting the traders. "We are not aware about the permissible limit for stocking essential commodities in our godowns."

According to the government's decision taken in 2010, a trader can only stock 750 quintals of pulses, but the civil supplies department has found serious discrepancies in the storage of the essential commodities in godowns during the recent raids.

Sources said the government might also publish retail and wholesale prices of pulses in newspapers on a daily basis to ensure uniformity in the prices across the state.

The traders of Malgodown in Cuttack had downed shutters this morning in protest against the ongoing raids. However, following talks with the food supplies and consumer welfare minister, they have agreed to co-operate with the administration in verification of stocks in their godowns.