KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday expressed grave concern over the inefficiency of provincial authorities to check price and quality of food items and directed the provincial government to immediately establish the Sindh Food Authority.

Headed by Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, a two-judge bench was hearing a constitutional petition of a civil rights campaigner, seeking reduction in the prices of dairy products and formation of a task force to regulate the prices.

The judges became visibly irked when the chief inspector for food informed them that there were only 12 food inspectors in the metropolis to check the prices and quality of edibles.

“There ought to be hundreds of inspectors for the task in such a mega city,” the chief justice snapped.

He remarked that rotten meat and spurious food items were being sold in the city due to the negligence and inefficiency of the food department.

The chief inspector submitted that there were 12 food inspectors in the food department in 1973 and their number had since not increased.

He said the provincial government had constituted Director Sindh Good Authority under Sindh Good Authority Act which would enable the authorities to not only check the prices but also the quality of food items.

Additional Advocate General Mustafa Mahesar submitted that he would place on record the progress taken place so far towards implementation and enforcement of the authority.

The bench put off the hearing to April 20, directing the additional advocate general to ensure filing of a detailed report on behalf of the chief secretary.

According to the petitioner, an SHC bench on Aug 23, 2013 directed the city commissioner and other respondents concerned to devise a mechanism to control and maintain the prices of dairy products including milk.

However, he said, the “milk seller mafia” had once again unilaterally and illegally increased the milk price, which was the violation of the court’s earlier order.

The civil right campaigner said that the increase in milk price was unjust in view of decreasing prices of petroleum products in international and local markets.

He said the milk price was fixed at Rs70 per litre when the price of petrol was Rs110 per litre.

Petitioner Mohammed Irman Shehzad said that pursuant to the court’s earlier order, the city commissioner notified on April 9, 2012 the retail price of milk at Rs70 per litre, but the dairy farmers unilaterally increased the rate to Rs84 per litre on the grounds that the price of petroleum products had gone up.

He said that now the dairy farmers proposed to increase the price to Rs94 once again without any sound and cogent reason, whereas the prices of all commodities and fuels went down.

The petitioner stated that the respondents were not fixing the price of milk by following the procedure as provided under the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977.

The petitioner requested the court to direct the law-enforcing agencies including the Rangers and police to ensure the sale of milk at the price of Rs70 per litre.

He also asked the court to order the law-enforcement agencies to launch a crackdown on the traders selling the commodity at exorbitant prices.

Besides, Mr Shehzad also asked the court to direct the respondent authorities to constitute a task force for regulating and maintaining the prices of dairy products.

He also asked the court to direct the respondents to set up a permanent complaint desk at every police station for consumers.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2016