HYDERABAD, Sept 25: Price-checking magistrates were not seen anywhere in markets of the city on Monday to ensure enforcement of prices fixed by the district administration for Ramazan.

As a result, wholesalers and retailers of flour, fruit, vegetables, meat and grocery openly violated the city government order.

There was a marked difference between prices fixed by the district coordination officer under section six of the Price Control Observation of Hoarding and Profiteering Act 1977 and those of fruit, vegetable sellers and kiryana merchants.

The market committee staff deputed in the complaint centre set up in Faqir Jo Pir fire brigade station is not competent to take action on complaints which could only be taken up by price-checking magistrate.

“I remember that last year the price control magistrate arrived in the market only on two occasions”, said a Market committee employee.

He said that he would only register complaints and present them to magistrate for action.

Mostly price-checking magistrates are revenue officers, working in the district government, and they normally spare time to visit markets only in closing hours of fasting.

No price control staff was available in the Market fire brigade station and even the complaint centre’s address has not been purchased for consumers’ facilitation.

This correspondent tried to find out staff but the centre could not be found in the Market area.

“We are living in a Muslim country but fruit sellers are not inclined to offer some kind of relief to consumers by reducing margin of profit” said Abdul Majeed, a consumer who was buying fruits in Tower Market area.

“The government is absolutely unable to take action against them as it only issues directives for media consumption”, he said.

As per official price lists grapes (gola) is to be sold at Rs87 per kilogram but fruit sellers fixed it for Rs90 per kg.

Water-melon was sold at Rs16 per kg against its officially fixed price of Rs14 per kg. Dates (Irani) were being sold at Rs60 per kg against official price of Rs54 per kg.

Difference of rates was also noted in banana and pomegranate.

Pomegranate was being sold at Rs80 per kg against its price of Rs62 per kg.

As far as vegetable is concerned, there was marked difference in prices of green chilli and tomatoes - highly common commodities in cooking.

Green chilli is being sold at Rs30 per kg against its official price of Rs20 per kg, beef is being sold at Rs120 per kg while mutton was available as per official price of Rs200 per kg.

The kiryana merchants said that the district administration was interested only to pressurise retailers and it was completely ignoring the fact that what sort of rates were being offered by wholesalers for flour, rice and pulses.

Showing bill of a flour mills regarding price of flour, a kiryana merchant at Lajpat road said that he had purchased 80kg flour at the rate of Rs13.50 per kg though it is to be sold at Rs13 to retailers as per official price list.

“No body takes action against wholesalers while the administration is only concentrating to force us to reduce prices without realising the fact wholesalers are offering us rates that are not in accordance with lists”, said a shopkeeper.

Another shopkeeper said that it was decided in the meeting that pulse Channa grade-1 would be sold at Rs46 by retailers, pulse Masoor grade-1 at Rs44 and baison (gram flour) at Rs46 but official lists have fixed rates at Rs44, R40 and Rs44, respectively.

“Why does not the administration force wholesalers to follow official rates”, he questioned.

He said that retail price of red chilli (ungrained) was sold, as per list, at Rs90 while the price of grained one is Rs75 per kg.