PESHAWAR, Sept 3: Most of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets here are short of subsidised edible oil and ghee, people complained.

Consumers said here on Monday that because of limited supply they were unable to benefit from the Ramazan Package, which offered reduction in prices of more than 450 items.

Mohammad Daud, a low-paid worker and regular visitor to the USC, complained that he could not purchase subsidised edible oil and ghee from the utility store during the past two months after their prices in the market witnessed an unprecedented surge.

He said the price of ghee in the market was Rs92 per kilogramme, while it should be available at Rs67 at the utility stores. He said most of the consumers were unable to benefit from the much publicised package.

When contacted, USC Regional Manager Syed Mehtab Binori confirmed that the gap between demand and supply of subsidised edible oil and ghee was widening, but argued that the consumers were equally responsible for the situation. He said the 70 regular and 18 franchise outlets of the corporation in the city were supplied edible oil and ghee daily but they were unable to fulfil the demand. He claimed that the consumers were purchasing subsidised items in larger quantities than their requirement, which led to shortage in the stores.