KARACHI, July 20: Nobody will probably dispute the fact that there is no official check on the occasional price flare-ups in the essential commodities and the chief victim continues to be the white-collar segment of the society whose monthly income could not match the rate of inflation.

There are a number of official agencies allied to the food department to have a check on artificial price flare-ups or hoarding of the stocks to keep prices at a certain level but a personal survey reflected that there is a vast difference in prices in various areas depending on the paying capacity of the buyer.

“The huge invisible incomes of the privileged class and lavish spendings by the families of the overseas Pakistanis have further accentuated the price situation against which consumers complain to themselves not to the official agencies”, says a consumer from the middle income group.

In developed economies both official and unofficial consumer resistance societies do play a corrective role after constantly monitoring prices at the retail outlets each day of the week.

As a result, prices remain stable as the wholesalers or the retailers have to pinpoint the reasons, which prompted them to raise prices of certain essentials, when there is no change in the supply channels.

“Let then the private sector have its own price monitoring system manned by the consumer resistance societies to relieve the general consumer from the agony of paying more to satisfy the whims of hoarders or speculative forces”, some vocal consumers suggest.

In early 60s, there were a number of consumer resistance societies in Karachi, which never allowed any speculative increase in any of the essential commodities as their monitoring always evoked official action.

Many may still remember that during the Ayub regime in the 60s, prices of white sugar shot up to 15 anna from the prevailing 12 anna per kilo and there was a violent public reaction to the increase and the government has to normalize prices after making emergency imports of the commodity from India.

The prevailing situation also calls for setting up of officially registered consumer resistance societies, which can chain the monster of inflation well in time and could seek official intervention through the relevant departments.

Another view is that the government should make liberal allocations from the social development programme or any other relevant account for such officially recognized consumer societies so that they can employ educated people on salary to man these committees professionally. — Muhammad Aslam