Rs. 40 a hopper in Kataragama!

Because of the influx of pilgrims coming on pilgrimage to Kataragama these days, the

There had been an abnormal congestion of an unbearable nature noticed in the Southern Expressway across which one could gain access to Kataragama because of the crowd flowing towards this city which was hardly seen on previous occasions and unbearable for the city to face. As a result there had been a dearth of food for pilgrims and so hotel owners have jacked up prices of food items. At some outlets a hopper has been made available at Rs. 40, a plain tea at Rs. 50 while a parcel of food containing dry fish had been priced at Rs. 250. It was also reported that a pot of curd was priced at Rs. 180.

Though the Consumer Authorities have informed that the maximum price a hopper should be sold is at Rs. 10, such rules and regulations are not in operation in this particular zone. It was further reported that lodging-fees has been boosted all of a sudden and that a fee of Rs. 3000 or 4000 had been charged to spend one night at a hut with just one electric bulb while a room which normally had been charged for at the rate of Rs. 4000 was on this occasion offered for upto a price of Rs. 12000.

It was understood that under such conditions houses, boutiques and corridors around Kataragama holy land had been occupied by various types of people. In the meantime, it was learned that a bribe of a sum of Rs. 1000 had been demanded by some operating as brokers to introduce the tray of offering on the sly, from outside the queue.