No reduction in prices of edibles

Rawalpindi: The price magistrates of local administration, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) and Chaklala Cantonment Board (CCB) have failed to control profiteers and hoarders.

Rawalpindi Merchant Association Chairman Saleem Pervaiz has admitted that there was no reduction in prices of edibles. The Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsan Naqvi once again directed Rawalpindi management to do practical efforts to provide relief of public but in vain. No doubt, prices of some of items have gone down but wholesale dealers and retail shopkeepers still earning 100 per cent profit on all items.

On the other hand, majority of branded items including ‘Atta’ and ‘Sugar’ still selling in skyrocketing rates. Branded ghee and cooking oil prices have gone down. If local administration, Rawalpindi became active in real manners to show practical working to provide relief of public then people will get relief otherwise not. All other items like beef, mutton, chicken, milk, yogurt, pulses, rice, tomato, onion, potato, ginger, garlic, washing powders, red chili, salt, all vegetables, dish wash, show polish, blade, bread, biscuits, soap and several other items were selling in skyrocketing rates as per routine.

Last week, Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Liaquat Ali Chatha had given 48-hours of government officials of local administration, Rawalpindi to provide public relief but in vain. The local residents say price magistrates and assistant commissioners were not properly monitoring bazaars leaving the consumers with no other option but to purchase edibles at higher rates.

The local administration issued a price list of edibles and it is the duty of price magistrates to ensure the officially-fixed prices are followed in the open markets. But, apparently, traders have been given a free hand as they are not following the price lists. It has been observed that good quality food items are sold at high prices while low quality items are offered to consumers at rates fixed by the district administration. Talking to ‘The News’ people belonged to different walls of life strongly criticized the poor performance of local administration resulted public was buying all eatable items in exorbitant prices.

The prices of food items increased in the market soon after a surge in petroleum prices but after over ten days the prices of edibles did not come down. Milk and beef/mutton prices have further gone up in the market, Samina Ahmed a housewife said. Muhammad Mukhtar a local said that who will catch multi-national companies they were looting public both hands. The branded companies not only increased rates but reduced weight of commodity. The tea pack of 800-gram is selling at Rs2200 while some two months back 900-gram tea pack was selling at Rs1550.

Nazia Butt a housewife said that there was no relief all around. Where was the government writ God knows better, she bemoaned? She said that public still buying a 15-kilogram ‘Atta’ bag at Rs2200 to Rs2250 but nobody cares about it.