KARACHI, Sept 13: The city district government Karachi may find it difficult to maintain prices of essential commodities in Ramazan if magisterial powers are not given to a large number of its officials to punish shopkeepers for hoarding and overcharging.

In view of the previous year’s experience when powers were confererred on seven officials only, the CDGK has sought powers for 100 of its officials so that at least four officials could be assigned to handle one town in the city.

“We need 18 DDOs (revenue), 18 town municipal officers, 18 town official (regulation), six DDOs Law, four DDOs from E&IP, 18 mukhtiarkars and 18 assistant mukhtiarkars with magisterial powers to check profiteering in Ramazan,” Executive District Officer, Enterprise and Investment Promotion (E&IP), City government, Raeesuddin Paracha said.

He said that the government had come out with a rule last year that only those officials would be given powers who have a law degree or any experience of having area magistracy. As a result, only seven officials could fulfil the requirement.

“We have asked the government to waive this condition this year and officials be given magisterial powers ahead of Ramazan so that positive results could be achieved,” Raeesuddin said, adding that in Punjab there is no such condition.

He said officials with magisterial powers can give punishment, impose fine and send profiteers to jail.

He added that like previous year as many as 54 complaint centres have been planned to set up in the city to register complaints regarding profiteering.

It had also been noticed by the market analysts that the government had virtually lost battle against the profiteers last year in case of milk, beef and mutton, pulses, wheat flour, fruits and vegetables etc. Because of government’s failure to control prices, consumers were made to suffer and they paid higher prices for milk and meat for the rest of whole year.

Market sources said that there were reports that a secret deal between some city government officials and stakeholders of milk and meat had been struck, allowing a free hand to them to make profit as the government had come up forcefully on the instructions of City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, but later succumbed to the pressure of stakeholders on various grounds.

Interestingly, the city government drive to check profiteering was targeted against milk retailers instead of dairy farmers last year.

This year the City government has started pre-Ramazan meetings and the government has asked stockists and wholesalers to reveal their stocks by Sept 17 so that a final list could be prepared 15 ahead of Ramazan.

Price regulators may face problems in fixing prices of meat, milk and pulses as these items are being sold at higher rates for the last one year.

If price list is prepared ahead of Ramazan, the government would then be able to provide commodities at fixed rates.

As far as prices are concerned, prices of gram have been under pressure, and it is being sold at Rs 36-37 per kg in wholesale. The commodity is being imported from Iran, Burma and Canada.

Advisor to Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association (KWGA), Anis Majeed, said that the prices of pulses are stable, except for Kabuli Channa. Sugar prices are falling since the government has liberalised its import while no problem is on the cards for flour varieties as imported wheat has also arrived.