Vegetables, fruits sellers busy in making quick buck

Islamabad

The vendors selling vegetables and fruits in different markets of the federal capital are busy in making a quick buck by charging price at their will as Eidul Azha is approaching near.

There seems monopoly of the vendors who are selling the edible items without displaying approved rate lists at appropriate place apparently in connivance with the officials of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and Capital Development Authority (CDA).

People are of the view that the ICT and CDA administrations have failed to control overcharging and maintaining quality of food items. Due to the negligence by the local authorities shopkeepers continue overcharging customers in various markets of the city.

Similarly, no one can question shopkeepers about the quality of edibles and other daily use items. The prices of fruits and vegetables are sky-rocketing and there is no one to control them, if we ask shopkeepers about pricelists they become angry and ask us to go to some other shop, said Mehwish Shahid, a housewife who was busy in shopping at Khanapul.

Several people said they had frequently tried to lodge a complaint against non-displaying of price lists but no one attended their phone. Due to ever-increasing inflation even relatively affordable items like tomato, onion and potato the basic ingredients in most of Pakistani foods are getting beyond the common man’s reach because of unjust and high profit margin.

When contacted an official of the Islamabad Market Committee said it was the responsibility of the ICT administration to issue price lists to shopkeepers daily while the CDA was responsible for checking quality of food.

The ICT administration was responsible for issuing price lists and taking action against those shopkeepers who did not display the list, he said.

He said that Islamabad Market Committee established a Complaint Cell to address the problems being faced by the costumers. The costumers, he said, can contact on following number 051-4867762 to inform authorities in case of any compliant against shopkeepers. The official said that on the complaints of overcharging and non-display of rate list by the shopkeepers the authority impose heavy fine and closed the concerned shop.