New Delhi, 20 Oct : Onion prices in Delhi are likely to dip with the arrival of the Centre's 'Kanda Express' in the national capital on Sunday, as per reports.

In the Kanda Express, 1,600 tonnes of onions are being brought to Delhi from Nashik in Maharashtra, the reports said.

Through 'Kanda Express', the government is trying to provide relief to the public from high onion prices before Diwali. In recent weeks, onion prices have reached Rs 75 per kg in Delhi.

This train has 42 coaches and all are loaded with onions. This train will reach Kishanganj railway station in Delhi and from here, It will be sent to the wholesale markets of the national capital.

As per the reports, the move will increase the daily supply of onions to 2,500 to 2,600 tonnes in markets of Delhi and the surrounding areas. This onion consignment will be sold in retail at Rs 35 per kg at Safal, Kendriya Bhandar and others.

The Centre had earlier said that "it is the first time that bulk transport of onions by rail rake has been adopted under price stabilisation intervention. Once onions reach, the stocks will be released in Delhi-NCR which will substantially increase the availability to consumers during this Diwali season".

Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said that railways as a mode of onion transportation are set to gain importance as more destinations are being added to bolster the pace of disposal. Shipments by rail rake to Lucknow and Varanasi will be scheduled in the next few days. The supply situation is set to improve in coming days with increased arrivals from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh which would bring down the tomato prices, she added.

The government had said that the average retail prices of onion in major states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Jharkhand and Telangana have been recorded lower in recent times compared to the level in the first week of September.

/IANS