HYDERABAD, Nov 2: The district government’s price control committee has failed to implement its notification fixing prices of different commodities as prices continued to rise during the first week of Ramazan.
A survey of the fruit market of the city showed that none of government functionaries, including taluka municipal administration officials, were seen in bazaars to check commodity prices and no price control cell was functioning there.
The rates being charged for different varieties of fruits were quite higher than the prices in the list, issued by the district government.
Fruit sellers said they were getting fruit at higher rates from wholesale commission agents that was why they could not comply with the official price list.
A week before Ramazan, the district government had appointed committees at taluka level to control prices.
DDOs, revenue, TPOs and TMOs were members of price control committees which were supposed to ensure implementation of the Ehteram-i-Ramazanul Mubarak Ordinance.
A District Price Fixation Committee, headed by EDO, revenue, and with representatives from each trader association of the city, was also constituted to fix the prices of essential commodities, including meat, vegetables, flour and fruits, and to send price lists to TMAs for implementation.
Fruit sellers are however not charging official rates for commodities as there is no proper vigilance system like surprise visits by government officials and subsequent penalty imposed on fruit sellers violating the price lists.
So far, the district government has not issued any statement whether any fine has been imposed on violators of the lists.
Buyers have expressed concern over prices charged by fruit sellers, saying the majority of people could not afford the rates.
A visit to the tower fruit market showed that rates of pomegranate continued to rise ever since Ramazan began.
On the first day of Ramazan, official price of the fruit was Rs34 per kilogramme but retailers sold it for Rs40 to 50 per kg. Now it is being sold at Rs40 per kg against the official rate of Rs39 per kg.
Melon is being sold at Rs15 and 16 per kg against the official price of Rs12 per kg. Apple golden is available with retailers at Rs40 while it is to be sold at Rs32 per kg. While the list did not has price for water melon, fruit sellers are selling it at Rs8 and 10 per kg.
Mutton is being sold at Rs150 per kg although it is to be sold at Rs135 per kg.
It appears that the price control committee has not reviewed the situation as to why the official list is being violated and whether fruit sellers have some genuine complaints against wholesalers in the main fruit market.
One variety of dates, called Khajoor Irani, is being sold at Rs24 per kg, another variety, Khajoor Iran, is available at Rs80 per kg while Khajoor Basra is available at Rs20 per kg.
When contacted by this correspondent, the EDO, revenue, Shakeel Naqvi, said he would get it checked why such violation was being made by fruit sellers.
He said all DDOs had now been given magisterial powers by the Sindh government.
Earlier, magisterial powers were delegated to those DDOs who were law graduates and had six-month magisterial experience. The EDO said some fruit sellers had been fined.
