Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has blamed extortion on roads and highways for increasing the prices of essential commodities.
The commerce minister admitted that different groups were extorting money in different places. He said he had spoken to the home minister about the matter.
He was speaking to reporters after the first meeting of the Task Force Committee on Review of Commodity Prices and Market Situation at the Commerce Ministry on Monday.
Tipu Munshi said, “The supply of goods in the market is disrupted due to extortion. Due to this the price of goods goes up. Attempts are being made to reduce the cost of goods as well as reduce the suffering along the way. So that no one can obstruct the supply of goods.
Talking to the Home Minister to stop the extortion, the Minister said, “There has been a detailed discussion on this today. The senior vice-president of the FBCCI has spoken to the home minister about the issue. The Home Minister has assured that he will take action in this regard. The home minister said he would take action to find out where the extortion was taking place.