Bhubaneswar: Even as Odisha has been encountering potato crisis for the last several days amid rising prices, West Bengal has reportedly installed CCTV cameras along its border to check the movement of trucks carrying consignments of the tuber through alternate routes.
Following restriction clamped by the West Bengal government on movement of potatoes to Odisha, people in the state have been severely hit by skyrocketing prices.
As per information, the West Bengal police have now started installing CCTV cameras at certain locations along the borders with Odisha to restrict the movement of the trucking carrying potatoes.
Sources said that the Bengal police have installed CCTV cameras at Nilada village on the border and trucks are also being prevented from entering Odisha at Laxmannath toll gate.
Residents of villages on the borders and traders claimed that CCTVs have reportedly been installed at six out of ten escape routes on the West Bengal border with 24×7 police patrolling, sources informed.
They expressed apprehensions that if Bengal continues to follow such an approach, the price of potatoes will increase further in the retail markets. Therefore, the government should take immediate steps to resolve the problem, they claimed.
Notably, the Odisha government has started providing three kgs of potato at Rs 100 to the people. The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department started the process to provide 10 packets of potatoes to each dealer.
The dealers have been asked to provide three kgs of potatoes to each family at Rs 100 to all ration card holders and others also. The process will continue till the market situation gets stabilised.
