HYDERABAD: The district administration on Saturday fined three supermarkets in Latifabad Rs100,000 each for taking undue advantage of lockdown and overcharging customers for essential commodities and food items.

Latifabad Assistant Commissioner Faraz Ahmed Siddiqui paid a surprise visit to the three supermarkets, MaxBachat, Daud and Boulevard, over growing public complaints and found the stores selling wheat flour, lentils, sugar, meat and other foodstuff at high prices.

He said that he imposed Rs100,000 penalty each on the supermarkets and warned them to scale down prices of the commodities.

He directed them to charge prices fixed by the government, otherwise, the administration would take more stringent actions against them in future.

He took the action on special directives of Deputy Commissioner Fuad Ghaffar Soomro to provide relief to people during the lockdown. The crackdown would continue against profiteers and hoarders until they mended their ways before Ramazan, he said.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad’s focal person for coronavirus MPA Sharjeel Inam Memon directed the deputy commissioner and the assistant commissioners (ACs) to save people from profiteers and take measures to curb price hike of essential commodities.

He said at a meeting he chaired at Shahbaz Hall here the other day that the officials should ensure implementation of prices fixed by the government.

He asked ACs to curb price hike, issue warnings and impose heavy penalties on profiteers including shops and supermarkets. Prices of wheat flour, sugar, meat and other essential commodities were skyrocketing and if they were not controlled now, it would be difficult to rein them in during Ramazan, he said.

He stressed the need for evolving a comprehensive strategy to cope with the problem. Walkthrough disinfection spray gates would be set up at markets, especially marts, and staff at such stores should be trained to adopt all precautionary steps against the virus, he said.

Mismanagement in relief distribution

A group of civil society members on Saturday expressed concern over mismanagement in ration and cash distribution among people amid lack of coordination between Sindh and federal governments.

Representatives of Hyderabad Civil Society Network, Darshan Sachdev, Anwar Khaskheli, Noor Bajeer, Mukhtiar Abbasi, Punhal Sariyo and Salma Fateh questioned use of BISP data for Covid-19 relief package because BISP registration was still below 40pc.

The meeting chaired by HCSN chairman Kashif Siddiqui noted that if the government statistics as of April 10 were analysed the situation appeared grim but Sindh government had managed to control it with lockdown.

It expressed concern over lack of coordination between Sindh and federal governments that had perhaps helped the virus spread. On one hand social distancing was to be ensured and on the other disorganisation and mismanagement in ration and cash distribution was being seen, pointing to poor coordination, it said.

The meeting said that lack of coordination had contributed to the spread of the virus and warned that no one could control the virus amid fragile health facilities.

It questioned ration distribution during two nights by the government where transparency was compromised and regretted deficiencies of personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors, sanitary workers, law-enforcers and police. If relaxation was given in lockdown conditions more Covid-19 cases might surface, it said.

It recommended effective, efficient and unbiased coordination between the federal and provincial governments and implementation of anti-virus measures without compromising human lives.

The meeting said Pakistan Postal Service could be utilised for distribution of cash among the poor. Time should be given to departments concerned to ensure transparent management of cash distribution if other options were not explored, said the meeting.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2020