It is a sad story that people living in the Northeastern region have to pay higher prices for almost every item in comparison to their counterparts living in other regions of the country, the only fault being they belong to and stay in this region. People living in those districts in the Northeast that do not have railway connectivity are compelled to pay through their nose for no fault of theirs. Though there has, however, been quite a drastic improvement in connectivity in the region in the past ten years or so, people of the region continue to suffer due to high prices. It is a fact that goods become cheaper when transported by the railways. In contrast, prices become high when moved by trucks. Unfortunately, in this country, the truck lobby was so strong for several decades that it practically prevented several crucial bridges in the region, including the Brahmaputra bridge between Kaliabor and Tezpur, from becoming a road-cum-rail facility. There was a time when bandhs and blockades were blamed for the shortage and high price of essential commodities, including LPG cylinders and other petroleum products. Rains and natural calamities, however, continue to play havoc, but only occasionally. In this backdrop, it is important to note that the Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution has recently pointed out that the disruption of the supply chain from time to time, the cost of transportation and logistics, and damage due to heavy rains, besides the bandh culture, are the reasons behind the rise in prices of essential commodities in the Northeastern states. The Standing Committee, in its first report tabled in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, reportedly made it a point that the Northeast has remained a consuming region rather than a producing one, and that this was another reason behind soaring prices due to the cost of transportation and logistics. What the Standing Committee should have done is suggest that the government take a call on this issue at the highest level, particularly in the backdrop of Prime Minister Modi calling the eight states of the region ‘Ashtalakshmi.’