19 October 2004	Tuesday	04 Ramazan 1425

HYDERABAD, Oct 18: People here on Monday remained at the mercy of retailers in different markets as the district government's bid to stop profiteering through price lists during Ramazan failed.

People were forced to pay exorbitant prices to fruit vendors and meat merchants because the prices fixed by the district government proved to be eyewash. Officials failed to ensure that fruits, vegetables, edibles and meat were available according to the price lists prepared in consultation with different associations of meat/kiryana merchants, market committees and fruit/vegetable commission agents.

Grocers seemed reluctant to comply with the lists in respect of the prices of pulses and rice. A retailer said they charged a price altogether different from that mentioned on the official price lists, adding that the district government did not consider whether or not wholesalers could make pulses and rice available in the market at the prices fixed by the district government. For instance, he said, he had purchased quality-1 masoor (imported) for Rs39 per kilogram from wholesalers, while the retail price in the official list for this quality was Rs37.50. "How is it possible for us to sell masoor at such a huge loss?" he asked.

The grocer claimed that officials had not fixed the prices of different commodities in accordance with their quality. They wanted the retailers to sell quality-1 products at the rate of quality-3, which was impossible, he added.

Another grocer said basmati karnal was bought from wholesalers for Rs34 per kilo while the list had fixed its rate at Rs30-33 for retailers.

He said that pressure was being mounted on retailers whereas no one was ready to rein in the wholesalers. He maintained that wholesalers provided pulses and rice of good quality on different rates while issued payment bills of different amounts in order to escape checks by the government.

The office of sessions judge, Hyderabad, informed Dawn on Monday that magisterial powers had been delegated to five deputy district officers (revenue) to check profiteering and hoarding.

DDO Umar Farooque will exercise magisterial powers in taluka (rural) and Tando Allahyar, DDO Sohail Memon in taluka city, DDO Matiari Mir Mohammad in Hala and Matiari, and DDOs Zulfikar Ali Nizamani Tando Mohammad Khan and Qazi Fazalullah in Qasimabad and Latifabad talukas.

There was no check on the sale of meat for Rs180 a kilogram against the official price of Rs160-170. Beef (boneless) was available at Rs120 a kilo and beef at Rs100 a kilo. It was not known whether the taluka level committees formed to control prices were paying visits to the markets. However, buyers had to pay exorbitant prices.

Local Bodies Adviser Waseem Akhtar during a visit to the city on Oct 14 announced that the price control committee would work effectively to provide relief to common citizens, and said that if the civil administration required police support, the provincial government would provide it to take action against profiteers and hoaders.