Srinagar, Aug 18: At a time when the shoppers have swarmed the city shops, courtesy Eid Shopping, the high prices and the low product quality, have left them seething in anger and paving the way for the imported cookies to be better alternatives.
Indigenous bread, pastries and cakes over the years, have been preferred choice of Kashmiris on festivals like Eid, but, of late, packed bakery (cookies to be specific)imported from outside the state are proving to be an alternative for locals. Majority of the top departmental stores and small shops have felt the trend and are selling fair quantity of imported bakery.
Although local bakery still rules the roost, but packed cookies made in various states of India are creating their own niche in the Valley.
“Hygienic nature and more longevity” are the main reasons of imported bakery over the one made here. Its affordable rates are also playing its part in raising their sales.
The eggless packed bakery is luring Kashmiris towards its consumption big time.
“We all know bakers in Kashmir use eggs for making their stuff like cakes and cookies. Most of the eggs in hot conditions are rotten. To avoid consuming bakery stuffed with rotten eggs, we prefer packed bakery from outside the state,” says Ghulam Mohammad Khan, busy in purchasing packed cookies from a general store in Residency road
He further added: “Customers cannot be duped as the rates are labeled on the packs with its ingredients.”
The people alleged that local bakers are also overcharging them and the products do not meet the quality standards.
“The local bakers use rotten eggs as had been established during the recent raids by the authorities,” said Mushtaq Ahmad from Jawahar Nagar.
The authorities have recently launched raids against the violators and have fined many bakers whose products were not meeting the standards.
Food safety Officer Reyaz Ahmad Chaudhary said that they are doing their best to prevent the bakery that does not meet the safety standards from reaching out to the customers.
“We have raided many areas in the Srinagar city and have fined many shopkeepers who were found violating the norms. We have destroyed two trucks of eggs that were found rotten,” said Reyaz, adding that they have also destroyed the rotten bakery cream and other bakery products on the spot verification that the bakers were using in order to earn more bucks.
However the customers are not satisfied as they have alleged that the bakery products are being sold at exorbitant rates. They also accused the authorities of not acting tough against the shopkeepers indulging in black marketeering and in illegal profiteering.
“We fail to understand why there are different rates for the same product at different places. A plum cake at one shop costs Rs 100 and the same cake costs Rs 150 at another. The shopkeepers are flouting the rates,” said Javed Ahmad, adding that the shoppers are being hoodwinked as everybody is in a hurry.
Another customer questions “Why to check markets only on the special occasions? This should be a round the year exercise,” said Arshid Ahmad, a government employee.
The authorities were also caught napping as they have not revised the rates from 2011 nor did they fix any rates for the current year.
“It is true that we have not fixed any rates for the current year as there has been no meeting in this regard. The bakers association also did not contact us in this regard,” said Assistant Director of the Enforcement Wing CAPD.
However he could not provide any clear answers why they have not fixed the rates for the bakery products.
Indigenous bread, pastries and cakes over the years, have been preferred choice of Kashmiris on festivals like Eid, but, of late, packed bakery (cookies to be specific)imported from outside the state are proving to be an alternative for locals. Majority of the top departmental stores and small shops have felt the trend and are selling fair quantity of imported bakery.
Although local bakery still rules the roost, but packed cookies made in various states of India are creating their own niche in the Valley.
“Hygienic nature and more longevity” are the main reasons of imported bakery over the one made here. Its affordable rates are also playing its part in raising their sales.
The eggless packed bakery is luring Kashmiris towards its consumption big time.
“We all know bakers in Kashmir use eggs for making their stuff like cakes and cookies. Most of the eggs in hot conditions are rotten. To avoid consuming bakery stuffed with rotten eggs, we prefer packed bakery from outside the state,” says Ghulam Mohammad Khan, busy in purchasing packed cookies from a general store in Residency road
He further added: “Customers cannot be duped as the rates are labeled on the packs with its ingredients.”
The people alleged that local bakers are also overcharging them and the products do not meet the quality standards.
“The local bakers use rotten eggs as had been established during the recent raids by the authorities,” said Mushtaq Ahmad from Jawahar Nagar.
The authorities have recently launched raids against the violators and have fined many bakers whose products were not meeting the standards.
Food safety Officer Reyaz Ahmad Chaudhary said that they are doing their best to prevent the bakery that does not meet the safety standards from reaching out to the customers.
“We have raided many areas in the Srinagar city and have fined many shopkeepers who were found violating the norms. We have destroyed two trucks of eggs that were found rotten,” said Reyaz, adding that they have also destroyed the rotten bakery cream and other bakery products on the spot verification that the bakers were using in order to earn more bucks.
However the customers are not satisfied as they have alleged that the bakery products are being sold at exorbitant rates. They also accused the authorities of not acting tough against the shopkeepers indulging in black marketeering and in illegal profiteering.
“We fail to understand why there are different rates for the same product at different places. A plum cake at one shop costs Rs 100 and the same cake costs Rs 150 at another. The shopkeepers are flouting the rates,” said Javed Ahmad, adding that the shoppers are being hoodwinked as everybody is in a hurry.
Another customer questions “Why to check markets only on the special occasions? This should be a round the year exercise,” said Arshid Ahmad, a government employee.
The authorities were also caught napping as they have not revised the rates from 2011 nor did they fix any rates for the current year.
“It is true that we have not fixed any rates for the current year as there has been no meeting in this regard. The bakers association also did not contact us in this regard,” said Assistant Director of the Enforcement Wing CAPD.
However he could not provide any clear answers why they have not fixed the rates for the bakery products.
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