June 04, 2007	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1428

TAXILA, June 3: Market committees seem helpless in controlling commodity prices in Taxila and Wah Cantonment as a massive surge in prices of the kitchen items has been witnessed just ahead of the budget.

In the recent price spiral, prices of eggs, sugar, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, apples and dairy products have increased.

The upsurge in prices of commodities in Taxila, Wah Cantonment and Hassanabdal, ahead of the national budget.

This has been going on despite government’s watchdog agencies constituted to ensure that prices remained stable and check illegal profiteers. The special price control committees, formed by the city government, have also failed to achieve the desired results.

On public complaints, a survey was conducted, which revealed that the retail price of a five-kilogramme cooking oil tin had jumped to Rs425 from Rs395 in the last two weeks, according to a retailer operating in the city’s main grain market on the Railway Road. He said that there had been a 10 per cent increase in the prices of wheat-flour, gram and pulses. Prices of different brands of cigarettes have also increased by Rs2 per pack, he added.

The price of peas went up by Rs2, from Rs32 per kg to Rs30 per kg, while the price of turnips were raised to Rs10 per kg from Rs8 per kg and that of radish from Rs18 to Rs22 per kg.

The prices of fruits also show an upward trend as the price of apples (black) increased by Rs20 from Rs75 per kg to Rs95 per kg and the price of apples (golden) also increased to Rs80 per kg from last week.

The price of guavas (Category-A) remained stable, at Rs40 per kg and guava prices (Category-B) fell to Rs30 per kg from Rs35 of last week’s price, perhaps the only exception. The price of bananas (Category-A) increased to Rs45 per dozen from Rs40 per dozen last week, banana (Category-B) was selling at Rs25 per dozen.