VEHARI, Oct 12: The district administration has failed to check the trend of profiteering, black-marketing and hoarding. A survey was carried out by this correspondent on Wednesday of sasta and Ramazan bazaars and fair price shops where it was observed that every item of daily use was being sold at exorbitant prices.

A number of consumers told Dawn that the traders were paying no heed to the government announcement regarding reduction in the price of commodities under the Ramazan package.

They said the retailers have increased the prices of fruit and vegetables from 30 to 100 per cent and selling kitchen items like flour, ghee, sugar, gram powder, red chilies and other consumer goods at high rates.

They said tomato, which was available at Rs15 to Rs16 per kg before Ramazan, was now being sold for Rs40 per kg while price of onion was increased from Rs15 to Rs25 per kg, potatoes from Rs15 to Rs30 per kg, red chili powder from Rs85 per kg to Rs100 per kg while sugar was being sold at Rs30 per kg. Similarly green chili, peas, garlic and lemon were being sold for Rs55, Rs60, Rs55 and Rs52 per kg, respectively.

Apple, banana, guavas and grapes were being sold for Rs60 per kg, Rs30 per dozen, Rs50 per kg and 70 per kg, respectively.

Beef was being sold between Rs100 and Rs120 per kg instead of Rs80, mutton for Rs200 to Rs230 per kg instead of Rs180 and chicken for Rs110 per kg instead of Rs75 per kg before the start of Ramazan, they added.

The same trend was reported from other two tehsils, Mailsi and Burewala. The district administration has set up three sasta bazaars, one each in Burewala, Mailsi and Vehari, and about a dozen fair price shops under the chief minister’s Ramazan package for providing financial relief to the people.