Sheila Dikshit speaks on onion crisis: Highlights

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit speaks on the rising onion prices. Below are the highlights:

• We are doing our best to ensure that the prices come down.
• Black marketing should stop.
• Situation is serious as well all know. 800 tonnes of onions have come today from Kolhapur, Nashik...
• That should ease prices now.
• We used to send onions through trucks. Last time we had 200 trucks.
• We are going to write to the Election Commission if we can do it now.
• We are in touch with NAFED to see how more stocks can come in. Rains, storms etc had affected supplies.
• Many mandis have opened up stalls outside mandis at lesser rate. Prices in Pune market have come down to Rs 40 per kilogram.
• Our team there in Nashik will see how we can negotiate rates
• NAFED will give Delhi government at no-profit-no-loss basis.
• I had a very productive meeting with KV Thomas and Sharad Pawar
• We are trying our best to stabilise prices.
• We have been advised that we used to sell onions through government vans all over Delhi. We are going to write to EC to restart those vans.
• Now we are in touch with NAFED to supplement the stocks in Delhi.
• Prolonged rains, flooding, storms in Odisha affected supply.
• Hopeful that when new crops come, prices will reduce.
• Lot of stock has gone to waste due to prolonged rains.
• Appeal to people that we are trying our best.
• Delhi is a state that imports food etc. Also it is a big trading centre but not a producing centre. So control has to come from where it is produced.