SANGHAR, March 15: Merchants are overcharging the people for cement and iron because of no fixed prices in the district. A bag of cement is being sold at Rs250 to Rs260.

Iron bars used in buildings are also being sold at exorbitant rates. On Saturday, a ton of iron bars was sold at Rs50,000 i.e. Rs50 per kilogramme, whereas iron wires, which were available at Rs50 per kilogramme a few weeks back, were sold at Rs100 per kg.

Other iron and steel material are also being sold at higher prices. Even prices of second-hand spare parts of tractors and other automobiles, electricity wires and fans have increased.

When contacted by telephone, Federation of Trade and Commerce general-secretary Akhtar Qureshi told this correspondent that there was no one to check the prices.

District officials said it was the responsibility of the district government to check the prices while the district government and members of the district council complained that the officials were not taking notice of their grievances and not considering resolutions passed by the district council, he maintained. Mr Qureshi demanded that the government should control prices of commodities.