KARACHI, Sept 21: With the Ramazan approaching fast, the city district government is yet to issue a final price list of essential commodities. The delay in the issuance of list is causing resentment among buyers and perturbing wholesalers and retailers.
An official of the city government claimed that the list would be made prepared in a day or two, and would be available in all the 18 towns, but grocers claim that they have still not received notification pertaining to fixation of prices on the basis of which Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG) could issue list for retailers in the city.
“I have received no notification about retail and wholesale prices as the city government has not given instructions whether they will print the list or association will be asked to bring out a list for its members,” said the general secretary of Karachi Retail Grocers Group (KRGG), Farid Qureishi.
Moreover, confusion persists about prices of a number of items, as a previous list issued by the city government did not mention prices of a host of items, including flour, ghee, cooking oil, tea and beverages.
The city government official said the list will not include prices of flour varieties, ghee etc, and only those items whose rates had been fixed and notified three days back, would be available in the list.
The prices of ghee and cooking oil are controlled by the industries department while tea is a provincial subject, and atta prices are fixed by the food department. Although there may be some cut in prices in these items, but till today confusion persists about rates.
Market sources said that every year, prices lists used to carry rates of atta, ghee and coocking oil as well.
EDO Enterprises and Investment Promotion (E&IP), Syed Abid Ali Shah, said the city government would itself publish the retail price list for Ramazan and it will replace the decade old system of publication of lists through retailers’ help. The lists, he said, would be available on Friday,
The city government’s notification issued a few days back about essential items does not include items like ghee and cooking oil, flour, tea, jam, jelly, marmalade, tomato ketchup, beverages like Rooh Afza, Jame Shireen, Naurus etc and without these items, the price list looks incomplete, said Mr Farid Qureishi of the Retail Grocers Group.
“It is surprising that the city government officials are asking us to publish the list on our own with the help of a copy of the notification without mentioning the above items in the price list.
“We need an approval in writing from the city government which we have not received so far,” he said, adding that “we can only make photo copies of the notification and forward it to our members which is not a proper way to communicate the prices fixed for Ramazan,” Mr Qureshi said.
He recalled that the KWGG has been publishing the price list for the last over a decade with the consent of the previous city governments, but it was for the first time that retailers are confused over the issue of a final price list.
Market sources said that the fixing of wholesale rates of pulses and rice by the city government has caused delay and the issue between the Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA) and the city government officials has not been resolved yet despite a meeting on Sept 20.
Wholesalers’ body argued that the wholesale rates of some varieties of rice and pulses fixed by the government are below the prevailing wholesale rates in the markets.
The city government officials had asked the KWGA to send a detailed letter regarding their reservations over prices so that they could review the situation, but so far nothing had been done.
For instance, the government has fixed the rate of channa at Rs38 per kg while its rate in the wholesale is Rs43-45 per kg. Consumers are paying Rs48 per kg at retail level. Masoor washed rate has been fixed at Rs28-32 while it is available at Rs35-40 per kg at wholesale rate, and the retailers are charging Rs42 per kg.
Masur whole has been fixed at Rs25-28 while it is selling at Rs30-31 per kg at wholesale rate. Consumers are paying Rs34-36 per kg at retail side.
The official wholesale rate of Kabuli channa has been fixed at Rs 40-55 per kg while it is being sold between Rs 45-66 per kg at the wholesale stage. Consumers are paying Rs 70 per kg at retail level.
Black gram (Kala channa) rate has been fixed at Rs 32-36 per kg while it is available at Rs36-39 per kg at wholesale market. In retail, consumers are paying Rs 42-44 per kg.Meanwhile, the city government has decided to launch an operation against profiteering and price escalation in the city from Friday, adds APP.
During the operation, First Class Magistrates will carry out raids with police and take legal action against those indulging in over-charging as against the prices fixed by City Government which can be six month imprisonment and fine up to Rs 15000.
A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of EDO Revenue.The meeting was attended by officials holding powers of First Class Magistrate, Additional EDO Revenue Matanat Ali Khan, four Additional District Officers, DDOs and Mukhtiarkars.
