Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Friday urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure the smooth supply of potatoes to Odisha.
In a letter to Banerjee, Patnaik said there is an artificial price hike due to a short supply of potatoes, which pinched the pockets of the common people.
Patnaik wrote that he learned from the media about long queues of potato-laden trucks waiting at the Odisha-West Bengal border. He requested Mamata Banerjee to kindly intervene in the matter and ensure the smooth supply of potatoes to Odisha.
“On similar occasions in the past, Banerjee’s noble gestures have earned the love and affection of the people of Odisha. Patnaik noted that the people of Odisha and West Bengal share strong cultural bonds and we are all devotees of Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannath,” the letter read.
Notably, around 200 trucks loaded with the tuber vegetable returned to West Bengal from Odisha-WB border near Sanakonia. The neighbouring state administration reportedly directed the trucks to go back.
The price of potatoes reached Rs 50 per KG in Odisha. Traders attributed the price hike to the short supply of potatoes from neighbouring State.
