August 23, 2007	Thursday	Sha’aban 9, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 22: Hours before the announcement of government’s Ramazan package (which the cabinet approved on Wednesday) the Utility Stores Corporation notified five to 10 per cent increase in prices of different items.

According to the new rate list, a 5kg tin pack of Panpasand ghee and cooking oil (a USC product) will now be sold at Rs444 instead of Rs415. Its 2.25kg pack will cost Rs225 instead of Rs210 and 9kg jar has gone up to Rs875 from Rs790 - a whopping increase of Rs85.

A 5kg pack of Tulo ghee and cooking oil will now be available at Rs496 instead of Rs470. The price of 2.5kg tin packing has been increased from Rs244 to Rs258 and that of 1kg from Rs82 to Rs92.

The rate of 5kg pack of Golden (Sun Banaspati) has gone up to Rs460 from Rs428. Rafhan corn oil (2 litre) will cost consumers Rs268 instead of Rs254 and 4-litre packing Rs515 instead of Rs484.

The price of 5kg pack of Dalda ghee has gone up to Rs498 from Rs480 and Rs260 instead of Rs251 for 2.5kg. One-kg packing has seen its price going up from Rs93 to Rs98.

The Season canola oil (4.5 litre) will now be available from Rs430 to Rs460 and 2.5 litre pack from Rs216 to Rs235.

Dal masoor will cost Rs57 per kg instead of Rs55 and masoor (whole) Rs47 instead of Rs45.

The USC’s own products have also become dearer. The prices of red chilli (200g) pack will be Rs34 to Rs36, garm masala (50g) from Rs20 to Rs21, black pepper (50g) from Rs20 to Rs21, white zira (100g) from Rs22 to Rs25 and small alychee (50g) from Rs10 to Rs11.

All the products of Mitchel’s will also cost more — 1kg jam from Rs107 to Rs112, katchup (825g) from Rs78 to Rs83, chilli garlic sauce from Rs42 to 44 and imli sauce (825g) from Rs84 to Rs88.

Similarly, rates of all products of Lux have also been raised; bath size soap (130g) from Rs22.75 to Rs25.75 and standard size (80g) pack from Rs14.75 to Rs16.75.

Wheel washing powder (500g) has registered a price increase of Rs7.50 - from Rs21.50 to Rs29, Surf Excel (400g) from Rs54.50 to Rs59.50 and 2kg packing from Rs239 to Rs259.

Prices of Sufi Soap products have also gone up; 1kg pack from Rs61 to Rs62, washing vermicelli (1kg) from Rs67 to Rs68.

“The Utility Stores Corporation, with the blessings of the government, has developed a habit of befooling people every year,” says Malik Manzoor, an irritated consumer from Faisal Town.

People were totally helpless in an administrative set-up which was designed to protect interests of a few individuals at the cost of 160 million people, he lamented and added: “Where could one go except praying that the Supreme Court takes a suo motu notice of this daylight robbery”?