The commissary system in Karachi has failed to stop hawking and hoarding

Karachi: The Sindh government restored the commissary system in the province ten years ago on the basis that food prices, transport fares, encroachments, hoarding and illegal matters could be controlled under this system. Instead, there has been further degradation, especially the prices of daily necessities are talking sky high but there is no good situation.

Officially few actions are taken to control the prices under the direction of Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners which have zero result, in practice the commissary system has completely failed.

According to the survey of Express, the prices of flour, dal, oil, chicken, vegetables, meat, pulses and milk and other food items have increased several times during one year in the city of Quaid. Miserably failing to set and control, there is no system of checking the prices of bakery items and company-made oil, ghee, double bread, etc. Company owners can easily charge Rs.10 to Rs.30 on an item at a time. Increases but no action is taken against them.

The formalities will begin before Ramadan

Kokab Iqbal, chairman of Consumers Association of Pakistan, said that now that Ramadan is approaching, in which public pressure increases, meetings against inflation and some measures against profiteers will be seen, but the mafia has become so strong that It has fixed the prices according to its intention and will increase the prices even before Ramadan.

He said that the list of price list of food items is issued by Commissioner Karachi, 5 rupees is the official price but it is sold in the market for 20 to 30 rupees, who sells this price list? It is not known, in which government account the income from this goes, it is also not known, this list is not visible to any shopkeeper although it is mandatory to display it.

Kokab Iqbal said that at present there is no price control mechanism, the prices of packets of spices, bakery items, ghee, oil etc. have increased many times, no formal action is taken against the mill owners, Asst. Commissioners sit in rooms, markets are surveyed and no action is taken against profiteers, inflation has broken records and the homes of the poor are starving.

Kokab Iqbal said that a department called Bureau of Supply and Purchases works under the Department of Agriculture, but it is powerless.

“Retailers are blamed and wholesalers are said nothing.”

Kokab Iqbal, chairman of Consumers Association of Pakistan, said that the Commissioner Karachi is the Controller General of Price Control and it is his responsibility to set the prices of food items and to implement them. Is.

It is their responsibility to visit the markets to check the prices of the goods and to take action against them in case of violation. But it has been seen for a long time that no serious action has been taken in this regard and whatever action has been taken has been formal and taken against wholesalers (retailers) while against the big fish i.e. retailers and wholesalers. No action has been taken on those who are actually responsible for inflation.

According to the law, a fine of 500 to 50,000 rupees and one day to 5 days of arrest are imposed against profiteers and hoarders. It accumulates, no one knows.

The district administration is surveying the price control options, Ali Arain

Director General Bureau of Supply and Procurement, Umar Salik Mirza said that he has just taken this charge, so the details should be taken from one of his responsible officers, Ali Haider Arain.

Ali Haider Arain told Express that before 2002, this department was working under the Sindh government, at that time, this department used to control prices with the support of SDMs. SDMs have the powers of magistrates against profiteers and hoarders. used to take timely action, later this department continued to work under the city government introduced by former President General Pervez Musharraf, in 2012-13 the powers of price control were given to commissioners and deputy commissioners, now this department only surveys markets and Its report is sent to the concerned city and district commissioners and deputy commissioners, on the basis of which action is taken against the profiteers.

Express tried to contact Commissioner Karachi Iqbal Memon several times and also sent a message on his cell phone, but he did not bother to pick up the call.