25 October 2004	Monday	10 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Oct 24: While identifying the main hurdles and shortcomings leading to the ineffectiveness of the Ramazan-specific price-control campaign in the metropolis, the city government intends to recommend about a dozen new measures to the higher authorities which, it believes, must be taken on urgent basis to ensure success of the whole exercise.

One of the proposed steps relates to the import of meat from Australia, Somalia and China to meet the rising demand in the local market. The proposal also seeks a cut in the import tariff by the federal government in order match the prices of imported and local meat.

As an option, the city government suggests that the provincial livestock department may be asked to explore the idea of arranging live animal from its farms for sale in market at control prices.

Meat merchants are not complying with the official prices of meat, fixed at Rs170 per kg for mutton and Rs90 per kg for beef, despite being challaned and fined/convicted.

In view of the lack of interest on the part of some DDOs vested with magisterial powers, it is to be proposed that the home department/high court be moved to for such powers to be delegated to all the 18 DDOs of the district government by withdrawing all the attached conditions. In order to maintain stability in prices after Ramazan, the powers would be sought on permanent basis.

The city government also intends to boost the morale of DDOs by introducing rewards/appreciation certificates with the aim of ensuring their better performance.

Another proposal is to depute experienced staff from the Bureau of Supplies and Prices to the city government.

To tackle the meteoric rise in prices of fruits and vegetables, the city government stresses the need for the setting up of more stalls for such commodities, as well as for meat and milk, under the supervision of town/union nazims who would ensure compliance with the official rates.

It also seeks the administrative control of Sabzi Mandi so that wholesale and retail prices could be regulated effectively.

Amid reports the flour varieties are not selling at control rates, the Sindh government will again be urged to strictly monitor the supplies and rates followed by the flour mills and ensure that wheat flour was made available to consumer at Rs12 per kg.

EDO Enterprise and Investment Promotion Raeesuddin Paracha, in a brief report on prices of essential commodities that was presented to the city nazim, has identified three main bottlenecks, one of them being the inadequate number of magistrates at the disposal of the city government.

The other shortcoming, he said, was the half-hearted cooperation by police department which responded very late on DDOs' request or, in some cases, did not respond at all. This attitude had created even law and order problem in many areas, he pointed out. Due to the police attitude, the exercise had failed to yield the desired results.

Mr Paracha said that the city government, at a meeting with Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Saturday, had taken up the issue of police attitude in presence of senior police officials who held out the assurance that an escort mobile van would be made available to every DDO.

The report said that the city government was facing dearth of staff required for the price control drive.

He maintained that owing to the conditions attached with the eligibility of a DDO to get magisterial powers, only eight of the 18 DDOs appeared qualified.

The report indicated that while most of the trade bodies in the city were satisfied with price-fixing exercise, the meat merchants's association, retail grocers' association and dairy farmers' organization resorted to opposing the move.