Packets of edible salt were flying off the shelves all over the state on Friday as panic-stricken shopper braced themselves for its impending disappearance. The farcical rush to pile reserve stock of salt in Manipur and other north-eastern states was proven to be an outcome of coordinated dissemination of rumors which had its epicenters in Bihar and Orrisa. Yet again, the handy and easily accessible mobile phones played the perfect accessory to the gossip mongers as it did during the episode of hate campaign against people from north-eastern states living in southern India a couple of years back. From early morning of Friday, people vied for the honor of passing on the information about the urgent situation to everyone in their memory, the stream of calls assailing even the skeptics. Prices of one kg packet of common salt shot up to around Rs 150 against the market price of Rs 12 in Imphal and other towns in Manipur.
The Indian Salt Manufacturers’ Association, the salt traders body of India, had confirmed that the recent spurt in salt prices in eastern states including Manipur was a ‘result of a cartel by a group of traders who colluded to make artificial shortage of salt in the region.’ Though the episode has been deservedly buried in the past in a swift manner, we should not walk away without inculcating the lessons learnt. The state police should register fraud cases and take punitive actions against those responsible for taking advantage of the vulnerable public by hoarding, rumor mongering and black-marketing. It will be in the best interest of one and all if the police announce the numbers of cases registered and arrest made. Also, the state government has the onus of maintaining a stable supply of food and other essential commodities, though admittedly it is easier said than done in the present perspective with the bad road connectivity and consistent disruptions from bandhs and blockades. It will be convenient for the public if the government owns an exigency plan to restrict disproportionate buying by consumers as well as monitor controlled sale by retailers to bolster the confidence of the customers and help them refrain from similar knee-jerk reactions to unfounded reports. Recurrence of such malicious scare is inevitable, created either by pranksters or insatiable traders. Only constant faith on the government’s preparedness can instill self-assurance to the customers and a tendency to take rumor with the proverbial pinch of salt next time it comes into orbit.