More than a week after shops selling chicken, eggs and mutton re-opened, coal town residents are compelled to purchase the non-vegetarian “essentials” at way higher prices.

Reason: transportation problems continue, and the administration has allowed only shops with valid licences to stay open.

The gravity of the price spike can be ascertained from the fact that local fish, available in the market at Rs 200/kg before the lockdown, is now sold at Rs 350 or 400/kg. Chicken that was sold at Rs 80/kg before the lockdown is now sold at Rs 150/kg, while eggs which were being sold at Rs 120 a tray (30 pieces) prior the lockdown, are now sold at Rs 160 a tray. Mutton which was sold at Rs 580/kg, is now being sold at Rs 650/kg.

Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Barmasia in Dhanbad, said: “Though egg, fish, chicken and mutton are available, quantity has reduced because very few shops are selling them, making it difficult for people like us who consider non-vegetarian items an essential.”

Somik Banerjee, a dog-breeder in Hirapur, said: “I need fish and chicken regularly for my dogs but because of high prices we are facing a lot of difficulty. We request the administration to take urgent steps to ensure smooth transport of consignments bringing fish from Andhra Pradesh to Jharkhand so that fish-sellers don’t charge exorbitant prices citing transport difficulties.”

Bapi Modak, a fish-seller at Hirapur Hatia, said: “We are selling fish which are coming from Andhra Pradesh at Rs 250 to 300/kg, but local fish are being sold at Rs 350 to Rs 400/kg because quantity is less. Local fishermen are facing difficulty in transporting their catch from the water bodies to the market because of the lockdown.”

Another fish-seller asked: “How can we sell fish at low rates when we are buying them (from fishermen or from wholesale dealers) at higher prices?”

Shops selling non-vegetarian items in Dhanbad were shut after the Janata Curfew was imposed on March 22, followed by the 21-day lockdown. They reopened on April 7 only after the animal husbandry department wrote to the district administrations that selling of non-vegetarian items is not prohibited during the lockdown.