EVEN before Ramazan starts, our wholesalers and retailers increase the prices of basic commodities arbitrarily. Fruit sellers have already increased the prices of fruits and no authority is there to check this. Yogurt is selling at Rs130 a kg.

In the absence of any mechanism to check prices of basic commodities traders have been minting money.

People’s representatives in the assemblies do not take interest in problems of the common man. Tea shops have increased the prices of tea and charge Rs15 for a cup of tea and Rs25 to Rs30 for ‘doodh patti’.

Also, some restaurants charge Rs60 or Rs80 for a soft drink which is normally sold for Rs25 a bottle and Rs40 for a can. Likewise, fast-food prices have shot up.

Nisar Ahmed

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2017