November 03, 2006	Friday	Shawwal 10, 1427

KARACHI, Nov 2: Traders of various commodities have refused to sell items at Ramazan rates and said they would not follow any price list which the city government is planning for the continuation of price checking campaign after the holy month.

They said that they had sold the commodities in Ramazan to respect the sanctity of the holy month and had suffered losses but they could not restore the same prices now.

All the traders and wholesalers of pulses, rice, milk, meat, flour, and kiryana items met the new Executive District Officer (EDO) Enterprise and Investment Promotion Hassan Naqvi on Thursday. He informed the traders about the continuation of the price checking campaign for the next year and discussed issues relating to rising prices of essential items.

Meanwhile, a city government official said that the government was planning to come out with a new price list every month in consultation with the market people. It would notify the list every month and take action against its violators.

He said that the city government was firm in its resolve to bring stability in prices and would not allow traders and market forces to fleece the consumers.

He said that the wholesalers of pulses and rice had been asked to provide data of imports, import invoices, local crop situation etc so that it could help checking their rates.

However, Chairman Karachi Retail Grocers Association (KRGA) Malik Zulfiqar Ali said that the government should ensure supply of pulses and rice at reduced rates only then traders will be able to sell them at cheaper rates.

He said that the government should check the international market rates on its own with the help of customs and the local crop situation with the provincial and federal governments.

Advisor to KWGA Anis Majeed said that the association members would meet Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on November 6 to apprise him of the problems being faced by the wholesalers.

General Secretary Meat Merchants Welfare Association (MMWA) Iqbal Qureshi said that the new EDO was insisting that the meat sellers maintain beef and mutton rates at the Ramazan level but the association members told him about the difficulties in maintaining the old rates.

He said a three-member committee comprising the government and consumers’ body representatives had been set up, which would monitor the animals’ price situation at the Cattle Mandi.

According to Chairman Consumer Association of Pakistan (CAP) Kaukab Iqbal almost all the traders bodies have flatly refused to sell the commodities at the Ramazan rates.

However, the new EDO was willing to continue the price checking campaign for the next one year and had asked the traders to continue selling commodities at old rates until the new price list is finalised but the traders are apparently not ready to cooperate.

He said that the milk retailers had complained to the city government that the wholesalers had not been penalised for price increase and only retailers had been fined for selling milk at higher rates. He said that the retailers argued that they had been purchasing fresh milk at Rs28 per litre then how could they sell at the same rate.