KARACHI, Aug 30: While Ramazan is round the corner, the city government is likely to achieve little success in stabilising the prices of essential goods on official rates during the coming month owing to a lack of help from police to its officials having magisterial powers.

Sources in the city government told Dawn that without active support and coordination of the police, no anti-profiteering campaign would be successful.

The enterprise and investment promotion (E&IP) and the revenue departments of the city government are responsible for price control. Besides issuing a monthly price list of essential commodities, the E&IP department is responsible for releasing a daily price list of fruit and vegetables during Ramazan while the revenue department is responsible for the enforcement of the price list across the city.

The sources said that even though a few officials of the revenue department had magisterial powers under which they could impose fines and order arrest of profiteers, they were not enjoying full cooperation from the regular police force in their anti-profiteering campaign.

Before the introduction of devolution of the power plan system, it was one of the duties of the five deputy commissioners and over two dozen sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) in the metropolis to curb profiteering and ensure the availability of essential goods on notified rates.

The sources said the performance of the defunct DCs and the SDMs was far better than that of the present officials of the revenue department due to the fact that the former had enjoyed full control over police. “The area SHO could not say no to the SDM. He had to accompany the SDM when and where he went. But now, it is the discretion of the police whether to accept or decline the request of a city government magistrate to accompany him to any market to check prices,” said an official.

Police officers routinely decline requests made by the city government’s magistrate to give them proper backup on the grounds that the former do not have sufficient staff or their personnel are engaged in VIP duties, etc.

Explaining the process, the sources said that normally four to six policemen, headed by an official below the post of SHO, accompanied the revenue official (having magisterial powers) during his visit to markets where he imposed fines or ordered arrest of profiteers. However, the profiteers evade action most of the time due to small contingents of police.

Giving a recent example, they said a revenue official was attacked in Orangi Town by shopkeepers when he tried to enforce the sale of goods on notified rates. A couple of months ago, milk-sellers ransacked the official vehicle of an executive district officer (E&IP), Dr Shahab Imam, and attacked him and others when they tried to ensure the availability of milk at official rates.

The sources said that in such conditions, most of the revenue officials were little interested in discharging their duties effectively because they felt that their attempt to curb profiteering might create a law and order situation.

However, it is also a fact that most revenue officials are more interested in paying attention to what the insiders describe as lucrative land issues instead of doing an additional task of curbing price-hike.

Sources said most revenue officials were recently posted in the city government and they were not aware of the situation on the ground. They said the provincial government should devise a mechanism to place the police under the control of officials having magisterial powers for Ramazan to curb profiteering so that the citizens could get essential goods, fruit and vegetables at official rates.

On its part, the city government will set up 50 fair price stalls in different city areas during Ramazan to provide essential goods on notified rates.