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KARACHI, July 17: The City Council on Thursday called upon the government to take effective measures to combat the spiralling trend of high prices of essential commodities.
The house members who took part in the debate on rising prices of various essential commodities also stressed the need for reactivating the price control committees and involving the union council nazims in monitoring the day-to-day situation of prices.
Presided over by Naib Nazim Nasreen Jalil, the council took up the issue on the insistence of some members who described the issue as ‘sensitive’ and a matter of concern for all segments of society.
Some members insisted that the house should adopt a joint resolution on the issue to make the federal and provincial governments realize the importance of the issue so that corrective measures could be taken to reverse the negative trend.
Admitting the plea of the council members, the convener allowed the debate on the issue, saying that members should submit their positive suggestions on the important subject.
Several members from both sides of the divide took part in the debate. Though many of them had never shown any interest in the proceedings of the house, they gave vent to their feelings on the price-hike.
A few treasury members blamed the federal and provincial governments for the price-hike and called for taking effective measures to control the situation.
‘Curb smuggling’
In this regard, they suggested that anti-smuggling steps should be taken to stop the illegal trade of wheat, rice and other essential commodities to neighbouring countries.
A member even suggested that a ban should be imposed on the export of these commodities so that they could be easily available to the common man in the country.
Taking the floor, leader of the house Asif Siddiqui argued that it was a worldwide trend that whenever there was an increase in the price of oil, consequently, prices of nearly all commodities were affected in every country.
But he criticised the policy of the government of issuing advance information to the media regarding the price-hike which, he claimed, always resulted in the storage of petrol and other commodities.
He suggested that the situation could be improved by reactivating the price-control committees, which should be supervised by the union council nazims.
The opposition members also linked the rising trend of inflation to global oil prices, which had created a crisis in the world.
Opposition leader Juman Darwan urged the members not to politicise the issue, saying that the crisis was not the product of the present government but the legacy of the past set-up. He also called for joint efforts to solve the issue.
At the outset of the proceedings, opposition member Anwar Baloch drew the attention of the convener towards the cleaning of drains, saying that the looming threat of monsoon rains would materialise if urgent steps were not taken to clear the drain in his union council.
But his contention was refuted by Haq Parast member Waqar Ahmed, who claimed that the work on the proposed drain was in progress.
Upon this the convener intervened, saying that the EDO municipal services should be called to explain the situation.On a point of order, opposition member Saifuddin advocate suggested that till the status quo on account of Octroi Zila Tax (OZT) continues, a suggestion should be made to the government for a special monthly grant of Rs100,000 to each union council so that they could function smoothly.
The convener assured the member that she would look into the matter.
Thereupon, Haq Parast panel member Ahsan Siddiqui, on a point of order, urged the convener to table his resolution regarding crimes in the industrial zones of the city.
Mr Siddiqui said the issue was not controversial as it was related to peace in the industrial areas of the city. He informed the house that there was an increase in criminal activities in the industrial areas, which was detrimental to the interests of the city as well as the country.
Community police
Reciprocating, Juman Darwan said he fully agreed with the house member, adding that effective measures should be taken to eliminate criminal activities.
In this regard, Mr Darwan suggested that the Sindh police and community police should devise a joint strategy to combat crimes. However, some opposition members expressed their reservations on the role of the community police.
Reacting to remarks of certain opposition members regarding the community police, Asif Siddiqui observed that the issue was being blown out of context.
Thereafter, Ahsan Siddiqui argued that he did not want to make the issue controversial, saying that “if members have any reservations, I am ready to withdraw the resolution.”
However, Asif Siddiqui did not agree with Mr Ahsan, saying that the issue was very important and urged the convener to submit the resolution for voting. This created uproar in the opposition benches.
The convener put off the debate on the issue till the next session.
The council will now meet on July 23.
