KARACHI, Dec 9: The officials who enjoy magisterial powers for a year to monitor prices in the market are yet to exercise their power to check profiteers.

These officials were delegated powers to impose fines on retailers for overcharging, but they are probably not ready to take too much trouble to rescue people from being overcharged in view of city government’s recent decision of retaining the Ramazan rates for fresh milk, beef and mutton.

As a result of lukewarm attitude of the officials, retailers and wholesalers are enjoying a free hand, and they are fleecing consumers. Retailers are still charging Rs30 per litre for milk instead of Rs28, and Rs44 per kg for yogurt without any fear of being caught.

Milk trade is divided into two groups — one is Dairy Farmers Association of Karachi (DFAK) and other is Karachi Dairy Farmers.

The second group has reportedly increased the rate to Rs32 per litre without informing the government while the DFAK held a meeting with the city government, and have not yet increased the rates.

Joint Secretary of DFAK, Dr Rafiquddin Babar, said the association had decided that it would maintain the old rates (Rs26.25 per litre minus transportation charges) by Dec 31 which means that fresh milk would continue to be sold at Rs30 per litre at retail level.

He added that the retail rates would only increase when DFAK would increase its wholesale rates. However, he said the city government issued a notification regarding old rates (Rs26 and Rs28 per litre at wholesale and retail) despite stakeholders reservations on prices during a meeting on Dec 5.

To a question about their future course of action in case officials start imposing fines and sending the stakeholders to jails, he said a similar exercise in Ramazan did not make an impact as milk was available at higher rates even in Ramazan.

The government has to re-consider its decision of retaining the existing prices in view of rising cost of production. He urged the city government to again negotiate with the stakeholders and find a realistic solution.

In charge Price Checking, Matanat Ali Khan who is also additional EDO Revenue, said he would be holding a meeting of DDOs and Mukhtarkars on Monday to work out a strategy how to check wholesalers’ first and then retailers.

He said milk retailers had been complaining about harassment for a long time as no wholesalers were caught.

The retailers claim that they are unable to sell milk at reduced rates as they had been getting milk at higher rate from wholesalers.

Meanwhile, meat merchants also continued to charge higher rates from consumers.

Market people observed that the city government has been too lethargic in checking rates at the wholesales from where the actual increase occurs.

However, it has also been

noticed that consumers have not received any real benefit from the city government’s price checking campaigns because people smell some kind of secret deal between the stakeholders and officials due to which campaigns against profiteering have failed miserably.