LAHORE: Arguments ensue as soon as the teller of a famous department store hands over a grocery bill to a customer.

“Why do every month it continues go up?” protests customer Ijaz to the teller, pointing to the bill.

“I fear prices are 30 per cent up. Please, give me some discount.”

“Ijaz Sahib, what can we do?” says teller Irfan in a sympathetic tone of voice.

For the last several months, such arguments have become a norm at counters of department stores and at mohalla shops.

People are complaining about a massive increase in the prices of grocery items, vegetables and fruits in Lahore. The government seems using outdated techniques (raiding and inspecting shops and capturing shopkeepers for overcharging customers) rather than devising a viable plan to control the price hike.

According to a manager of another department store, the prices of several essential items have increased by 30 percent. In the last couple of months, the prices of sugar, rice, cooking oil and pulses have jumped from Rs52 to 80, Rs140 to 200, Rs155 to 190 and Rs125 to 160. The price of soft drink (1.5 litre) bottle has gone up from Rs75 to 100 in the open market. Flour per kg price has also jumped to Rs55.

“Since the main causes behind increase in the prices is raise in cost of doing business, inflation impact on imports, black-marketing etc, the end users are the main sufferers,” he added.

Customers hardly buy items available on the rates fixed by deputy commissioners, generally called as DC rates due to the poor quality of the items. The DC rates of rice and pulses of various kinds range from Rs135 to Rs315, sugar Rs75, roti Rs6, naan Rs12, khamiri roti Rs12, milk Rs80, curd Rs100, mutton Rs900 and beef Rs450.

“I don’t buy the things available on DC rates because these are substandard, having no variety,” said a customer.

The unbridled hike in the prices of vegetables and fruits is also affecting the public at large.

“Since Eid to date, per kg price of onion couldn’t be brought down to Rs50 or so, as it is being sold at Rs90 to 100 in the open market. Similarly, the price of potato, garlic, ginger and others too continue rising on a daily basis. Chicken price once crossed Rs320 per kg in the city for the first time. I observe increase in the price of vegetables every day but the government is sleeping,” criticised a woman customer at a vegetable shop in Gulberg.

According to Lahore’s market committee secretary Shahzad Cheema, there are various factors behind the massive increase in the prices of vegetables, pulses etc. “Ginger and garlic are being imported and their price went up due to increase in the dollar price. Potato is brought here from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and onion from Balochistan. Tomato is being supplied to Punjab from Sindh these days,” Mr Cheema explained.

He said the government was working on a proposal to establish Kissan Mandis (small markets) at several points in Lahore where vendors would be supplied vegetables directly from the farms. Pulses, rice, sugar, ghee and some other things are also among the items to be sold in these markets on cheaper rates.

“Let see when this proposal is discussed in depth, approved and implemented,” he added. He also admitted that the rates mentioned on official price lists cannot be followed by the vendors in true letter and spirit.

“Vendors are forced to sell vegetables and fruits on the rates higher than the price lists due to buying of various items with selection by the customers and wastage of the unsold perishable items. So they (vendors) try to cover up their losses through selling vegetables and fruits on higher rates,” he explained.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2019