16 October 2004	Saturday	01 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 15: Consumers may be made to pay higher rates for edibles, such as pulses, dates, cooking oil, wheat flour and meat, on Saturday because of a dispute between the city government and the Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association (KWGA).

The dispute, over the control rates of some pulses, has also caused a delay in the printing of an official price list. The two sides remained in constant touch with each other but no agreement could be reached till late Friday.

The government has already fixed the retail prices of kiryana items for Ramazan under a notification issued on October 13. The prices were supposed to be printed in the form of 'official price list' to be issued by the city government and circulated by the Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG) a few days ahead of Ramazan.

According to a spokesman for the KWGA, a delegation of the association on Friday met the DCO who assured the delegation that the official price list would be reviewed. The delegation, he claimed, was told that another meeting would be convened in the evening to settle the dispute amicably.

However, the spokesman pointed out, the DCO office neither summoned the meeting nor came out with some amendments to the official price list till late in the evening.

Confusion gripped the markets on Friday as it could not be confirmed that the KRGG had taken any step for the printing of the price list. It is learnt that the list had been kept on hold till a correction was made in its wholesale column.

It is a usual practice that the KRGG makes arrangements for the printing of the list with one column containing wholesale rates and the other retail rates. On his part, the spokesman for the KWGA claimed that the KRGG had informed him that the list had not yet been sent to the printing press.

However, the KRGG general secretary, Farid Qureishi, insisted that he had already sent the list to the press and that the same would be ready for distribution by Saturday morning.

The city government has already lost its battle for a cut in prices of meat, dairy products, etc., as retailers of these commodities have refused to follow the official price list.

DECISION: The city government, in a statement issued late on Friday, announced that it had decided to circulate the price list of grocery items, as notified by the DCO/controller general of prices, Karachi, through the Enterprise and Investment Promotion Group of Offices, agencies add.

Justifying the decision, the statement maintained that it had been committed and confirmed by the KRGG, through its general secretary, that the list, approved by the city government officials, would be printed by the retailers' organization.

The KRGG had also promised that it would provide the printed list to the concerned offices of the city government, as well as all related outlets in the city latest by Friday noon. "But they have failed to publish the same, thereby creating confusion and inconveniences for public, as well as unnecessary delay in the provision of the list to the stores," the statement said.

The city government has advised all concerned to acquire the approved list from the E&IP Group of Offices, 5th Floor, Front Left Wing, Civic Centre, Hassan Square, Karachi, or dial 9232442 for assistance.