RAWALPINDI, Feb 8: Profiteers and hoarders in the twin cities are exploiting the Utility Stores’ decision to provide subsidized sugar to customers in view of the increasing prices of the commodity in the open market.

Utility Store Chandni Chowk Manager Abid Mehmood told Dawn on Wednesday that 70 per cent of the people who queued up in front of the stores were profiteers while only 30 per cent were ordinary persons.

“Being a local resident I can easily make out which person is standing there to buy sugar for domestic use and who is there for business purpose,” he claimed.

It has been learnt that sugar, which is available for Rs27.5 per kg at Utility Stores, is being sold in the market at a rate of Rs45 while in some places it is available for Rs48.

Mr Mehmood said the daily sugar stock available in his store was 80 bags each containing 40 kg of sugar which, he added, was not enough for 5,000 people standing in lines. He suggested that supply of the commodity must be increased to a minimum of 200 bags in order to distribute it to maximum number of consumers.

Jawad Bashir, who was waiting for his turn in Raja Bazaar, said the profiteers were taking advantage of those people who could not come in the morning because of their office timings.

“I will buy sugar from the market in the evening whatever may its price be because I must have to go to my office,” Shakila Wasif, a school teacher, said.

A manager of the Utility Store said in Rawalpindi, the total number of utility stores was 28 which was insufficient for a population of over 1.8 million.

Similarly, he said several businessmen had asked him to supply them sugar on commission basis, but he refused.

“The reason there is no shortage of sugar in the market is because profiteers are buying the commodity from the utility stores and we cannot stop them,” he said.

He said 1,500 bags of sugar per day were being supplied from the Utility Stores Corporation’s ware house in Islamabad, but this was not sufficient for the consumers of Rawalpindi.

Moreover, he said the Utility Stores lacked manpower therefore, sugar could not be delivered promptly to consumers.

When contacted Regional Manager (USC), Rawalpindi Zone, Munir Ahmad said the quota to all stores would be increased after Ashura and each purchaser would be given 4kg of sugar instead of 2kg.

He claimed that supply of sugar would not be reduced in the Utility Stores.

In some places like Saddar, Westridge, Misrial Road, Pandora and Committee Chowk, the consumers complained that most of the people did not wait for their turn and forcibly entered the queue.

“Nobody cares for the poor and old. Police are also not cooperating with us,” Sardar Shah from Pandora Market complained.

On Wednesday police also beat up a crowd of people near Chandni Chowk when they rushed towards a truck loaded with sugar for a utility store.

Sadiq Jan, a shopkeeper, said they had equal right to buy sugar from the stores like other people, adding that high price of sugar was because of the mill owners.

However, he observed that sugar import from India would resolve the crisis in the next couple of weeks.