KARACHI: Jodia Bazaar — the major wholesale market of the country dealing in essential commodities, like flour, wheat, rice, sugar and pulses — remained closed on Tuesday on a call for strike given by the Karachi Wholesalers and Grocers Association (KWGA) over “harassment by city government officials.”

It affected movement of goods from the up-country to Jodia Bazaar and from port to the market. The total worth of one day trading activity at the wholesale market is estimated between Rs3 and 5 billion.

In the evening, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Iftikhar Vohra intervened and assured traders that the KCCI would talk to the commissioner to resolve the issue on Wednesday.

Traders were protesting over issuance of unrealistic price lists by the commissioner and causing harassment of the trading com-munity.

The leaders claimed that the price lists show rates other than the ones agreed in meetings of stakeholders, including Controller-General of Prices, Consumers’ Asso-ciation, Bureau of Supplies and Prices etc.

They said the mutually agreed rates do not appear in the fortnightly price list issued by the commissioner of Karachi, which was forcing traders to sell products at officially fixed rates.

KWGA Chairman Anis Majeed held a press conference on Tuesday and termed the price checking campaign a black-mailing.

The traders, he said, have been threatened by price regulators that heavy fines may be imposed on traders and they could also be jailed.

They said that if FIRs against traders are not withdrawn, protest of traders may spread to other city markets.

After KCCI intervention, a meeting of traders, the commissioner would be held on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014