MUZAFFARABAD: Residents of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital have greatly been relieved from skyrocketing prices of fruit and vegetables after the opening of three Sasta (cheap) bazaars in different parts of the town.

The Sasta bazaars, a yearly initiative of the Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad, have not only broken the monopoly of the profiteers in the fruit and vegetable market but have helped in controlling the prices of fruit and veggies elsewhere in the town, officials and residents say.

“These bazaars have influenced the markets across the town, as shopkeepers find themselves bound to sell their commodities at reasonable prices in order to keep their businesses going,” asserted municipal magistrate Syed Sajjad Naqvi here on Thursday.

Mr Naqvi spoke to a group of correspondents during their visit to one of the bazaars, set up along the bustling Mirwaiz Road just outside Municipal Mutton Plaza.

Throughout the year, the consumers in Muzaffarabad complain that they purchase fruits and vegetables at prices far higher than the same in Rawalpindi and the neighouring towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

Mr Naqvi said that every year it had been a daunting task for his team to convince the sabzi mandi people to provide relief to public, at least in the holy month of fasting, but to no avail.

“Even this year, on the eve of Ramazan we asked them to set up a special cheap bazaar for the benefit of public. However, despite commitment they kept on dilly-dallying for about a week and later went on a strike as a pressure tactic, which forced us to explore other options,” he said.

He said that most of the vendors at the bazaar were non-locals, belonging to KP and Punjab.

Apart from the free of rent space, the civic body has also installed makeshift sunshades from its own budget to facilitate the vendors, he said.

Mr Naqvi, Food Inspector Nadeem Ali Mir and other officials maintain a regular vigil on prices and quality of the products being put on sale in sasta bazaars.

Buyers said they were happy to see a substantial difference in the prices of veggies and fruits here and elsewhere in the town.

“When I compare the prices with what used to be in the first few days of Ramazan, I feel as if I am buying for free,” remarked Khawaja Umair Ahmed, holding bags of veggies and fruits.

He said he had purchased 5-kg potatoes for Rs80, an amount that fetched hardly 3-kg before the holy month.

Similarly, the tomatoes which were around Rs70 per kg were being sold at Rs35. The rates would further plummet in the evening, buyers said.

When asked, vendors said even at this price they were earning.

“I daily bring a truckload of fruits from different towns of the Punjab and Alhamdulillah I am earning good amount of money from my sales at the rates fixed by the civic authorities on a daily basis,” said Khushi Mohmmad, 62, a resident of Faisalabad.

The food inspector regretted that the escalation in prices resulted not only due to the lust of profiteers, but also due to the disinterest of buyers.

“If people demonstrate civic responsibilities and inquire about the official rates of the commodities they intend to buy, prices can remain under control,” he believed.

“People do raise hue and cry about dearness, but ironically, rarely anyone lodges a proper complain to enable us take punitive action against the profiteers,” he regretted.

He suggested that the government should establish one more sabzi mandi, with a view to creating an atmosphere of competition between traders to keep prices under control round the year.

“If the government wants to give permanent relief to the citizens, it will have to break the monopoly of sabzi mandi for good by allowing everyone to do trade in this field without any hassle,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015

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