Fearing stampede, Patna officials wear helmets while selling onion for Rs 35/kg

Image Courtesy: Twitter/@ANI

New Delhi: Long queues were being seen outside the counters of Bihar State Cooperative Marketing Union Limited (Biscomaun), Patna, where onion are being sold at Rs 35 per kg at a time when the prices of the vegetable soared up to Rs 70-80 per kg. 

In a major relief to the people of Patna, Biscomaun started selling onions at a lower price from last week. The maximum limit of onion a person can get is 2 kg, but on showing the wedding card of a girl, people can buy 25 kg at the same rate. However, as people throng the state secretariat to buy the vegetable, instances of stampede were witnessed due to which, on Saturday, officials at the counter were spotted wearing helmets while selling onions. 

Speaking to news agency ANI, an official named Rohit Kumar said, "There have been instances of stone-pelting and stampedes, so this was our only option. No security has been provided to us." 

Patna:Onions at Bihar State Cooperative Marketing Union Limited counter being sold at 35/kg. Officials at counters wearing helmets. Rohit Kumar,official says 'there have been instances of stone pelting&stampedes,so this was our only option. No security has been provided to us.' https://t.co/YVjK1rhzKM pic.twitter.com/yoR6OdSfeu — ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2019

Onions have left customers teary-eyed as prices of the staple continue to skyrocket across the country. In West Bengal, onion scored a century with a kilo costing a whopping Rs 100. 

The central government has decided to import 1.2 lakh tonnes of onions to improve the domestic supply and control prices. The government is trying to procure onions from Egypt, Turkey, Holland and other countries.

Meanwhile, amid the shooting rise in the price, there are reports of onions being stolen from parts of Delhi, Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

In West Bengal, onions worth thousands of rupees have been stolen from a shop in West Midnapore. Thieves also stole a truck carrying onions worth Rs 20 lakh on its way from Nashik to Gorakhpur in Shiv Puri, Madhya Pradesh.