Chandigarh, Sept. 22 -- After nearly three weeks of spiraling costs, Chandigarh residents are finally getting some respite as vegetable prices show signs of cooling down. The floods in Punjab and Haryana had severely disrupted supplies to the city, pushing up prices across the board. With routes reopening and supply chains stabilising, Apni Mandis in Chandigarh reported a marginal decline in rates this week. Tomato prices, which had shot up to Rs.60 per kg on September 3, have now dropped to Rs.40 per kg in the wholesale mandis. In retail markets, the situation was even worse in the beginning of September, with tomatoes selling for Rs.80 to Rs.100 per kg. Other vegetables are also showing a downward trend. Capsicum, which was selling for Rs.120 per kg earlier this month, is now available for Rs.100. Similarly, cauliflower rate declined from Rs.120 to Rs.70, bottle gourd from Rs.70 to Rs.50, lady finger from Rs.80 to Rs.60 and brinjal from Rs.60 to Rs.50. Lemon prices eased from Rs.100 to Rs.80 per kg. Garlic, however, continues to remain steep at Rs.100 per kg. Explaining the fluctuations, Komal Sharma, in-charge of Apni Mandi, Punjab Mandi Board, said, "Floods severely affected local produce in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. For weeks, vegetables were being brought in from Uttar Pradesh, Bangalore and Delhi, which raised costs. Now that local routes are opening and supplies are stabilising, prices have started to decline and will likely ease further in coming days. Though vegetables are still being supplied from neighbouring states, easier supply has lowered the costs." Tomatoes, usually sourced from Punjab, had already faced supply shock due to strong winds and an extreme heatwave, which hurt production and lowered quality. With fields battered by floods and labour availability shrinking, the situation has worsened....