No panic buying of salt in Bihar, says state govt

The Bihar government today claimed that there was no panic buying of salt in the state after the state government launched crackdown on hoarders, rumour mongers by arresting 15 people and also a publicity campaign about abundant availability of salt.

"The artificial crisis about shortage of salt spread by the rumour mongers with vested interests has been successfully overcome through a massive publicity blitz and crackdown against the hoarders and rumour mongers," Principal secretary (Food and Consumer Protection) Shishir Sinha told reporters.

"We have succeeded in convincing the consumers about abundant availability of salt in the market and with the stockists as well as the source and supply lines to Bihar functioning as usual," Sinha said.

There has been no no report of panic buying of salt from anywhere in Bihar and the consumers have been reported to be purchasing the commodity as per requirement at the rate of Minimum Retailed Price (MRP), Sinha said.

The Principal Secretary (Food and Consumer Protection) said that on the direction of the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the government machinery was activated in a hyper mode yesterday and multi-pronged action plan launched to nip the crisis about artificial shortage of salt in the bud.

Sinha said that so far 15 people have been arrested and 21 FIRs lodged against those indulging in rumour mongering about the shortage of salt in various districts and added that the profiling of those arrested in this connection was being done to find out their role in creation of artificial crisis about salt triggering panic buying by the consumers.

More arrests and FIRs were likely in this connection, he said.