Prices of essential goods zoom in curfew-hit areas

The supply-demand principle manifested itself in practical terms in the riot-hit Old City here on Wednesday. For instance, shortage of milk sent the price of the essential ingredient in an average Hyderabadi’s favourite beverage, Chai, sky-rocket.
With curfew enforcement entering the second day, residents of Old City had to go without groceries, vegetables, and other essential goods.
Milk was sold at Rs 80 per litre as police prevented milk vans from entering the curfew-imposed areas, despite curfew passes being issued to the vehicles.
Children and infants were the worst hit as milk supplies were badly affected and a few vendors who had stocked milk packets in advance, made a killing.
Abdulla Bin Masqati, owner of Masqati Dairy and TD MLC, told this correspondent that police stopped all their 12 vehicles that supply milk in Old City. “Our vehicles had curfew passes issued by the DCP.”
The denizens bore the brunt as they suffered without ration and essential commodities. As residents in Shalibanda ventured out of their houses to express their grievances to the media, police shooed them away.
“I live along with my friends in a rented portion. We usually bring vegetables on a daily basis and cook ourselves. Because of curfew we are going to bed empty stomachs,” said Mr Yella Mahesh, an MBA student from Moosabowli.
Women who ventured out in search of kirana stores, had to return empty handed as most of the provision stores in the neighbourhood ran out of stocks by Tuesday. Except for the pharmacies attached to private hospitals and clinics, the medical stores were closed. Residents in need of emergency medication could not venture out.