September 20, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 07, 1428

GUJAR KHAN, Sept 19: The local government system has failed to check price-hike as prices of daily use items especially of meat, milk, fruits, pulses, vegetables, flour and other commodities have shot through the roof.

The failure of the local government could be gauged from the fact that the price control committee set up by the local government could still not wake up to unprecedented price hike during Ramazan.

According to the information collected from three police stations of Gujar Khan tehsil the price controlling magistrates has booked profiteers on August 30 in Mandra police station jurisdiction, on August 28 in Gujar Khan police station area and on August 23 in Jatli police station.

But they could not register a single case since August 30 that include six days of Ramazan when prices saw fabulous surge.

According to a survey, people said the district management group (DMG) officers were more effective in controlling overcharging by the shopkeepers and transporters than the present day Nazims.

Assistant commissioner (AC) and deputy commissioner (DC) sitting at tehsil and district headquarters were highly effective in establishing the writ of the government and enforcing government policies and law at gross root level.

A retired government officer said that the transporters used to be afraid of overcharging and overloading and any complaint lodged with the assistant commissioner or the resident magistrate they would initiate prompt action against them.

While the system of the nazims, according to the majority of the general public, was not proving so effective in controlling the price hike, over charging by the transporters and the excesses of the police officials in police stations.