Mumbai: On the one hand, the Uddhav Thackeray-led government recently launched its pilot ‘Shiv Thali’ project, in which a wholesome meal will be available for Rs 10, while on the other, the price of street foods, so ubiquitous that they are a staple snack-on-the-go, have been steadily climbing up. Factor in the rise in prices of onions and milk and it would appear that being purveyors of pakodas and pop or vada paav and chai is profitable after all. The biggest plus is that these prices are gravity-defying — once up, never down.
Take for instance, the price of most Mumbaikars’ favourite snack, the vada-paav — it usually costs anywhere from Rs 12-Rs15, depending on which part of the city one buys it from. Lately, in some areas, it is now being sold for Rs 17-Rs 20, with vendors saying potatoes are dearer as is the paav. The jumbo version of the snack has always cost more than its standard size, wherever it is offered.
Sagar Kinare, a popular street food joint in Kandivli’s Hindustan Naka said they had increased the price of the item from Rs 10 to Rs 12 in mid-November. Proprietor and manager Arun Sawant said the reason for the hike was due to the rise in prices of ingredients — potatoes, besan and oil.
“We had to increase the price of our products so that we wouldn’t have to compromise on their quality,” said Sawant.
In Santacruz and Andheri West, the snack costs Rs 12, while in Andheri East, it is selling for Rs 14. In Chembur, it sells for Rs 15 while a popular vendor in Mulund has been selling it for Rs 17.
Unseasonal rains have damaged one-third of the Kharif crops in Maharashtra, spread over 54 lakh hectares of land in the state. Prices of vegetables have skyrocketed since November, with retail prices of onion soaring at Rs 100-Rs120 per kilo.
“The rise in price of vegetables has compelled us to increase the price. Also, the severe rains this year increased the logistical costs of sourcing vegetables from various parts of the state,” informed Manohar Gupte, a wholesaler of vegetables in Jogeshwari.
However the IRCTC outlets, operating on Western Railway (WR) stations informed, they had not increased the price of the products yet but there was a likelihood of a price rise from January 1.
“We sell our products as per the price as quoted to us by the Western Railway administration. But it seems we need to increase the prices of our products now because the increase in price of raw materials is eating away our profit,” said Dipak Pal, a vendor at a WR station.
Pal also informed, not just the price of vegetables, the price of paav (bread) has also increased. A single loaf, which earlier cost Rs 5, now costs Rs 7.
Railway vendors sell their products at subsidised rates as they serve middle-class Mumbaikars. A vada paav is sold at Rs 9, while one may get samosa paav for Rs 10.
