The price of food

While the rate of fresh milk has been fixed at Rs80 per litre by the government of Sindh, it is being sold at Rs85 to Rs90 per litre in various parts of the city. Milk sellers know very well that no authority or institution is keeping a check on the prices they are selling their product at. Similarly, the price of chicken is Rs320 to Rs350 per kilogramme as opposed to Rs295 set by the authorities. Surprisingly, the authorities concerned have done nothing about the price hike. In the absence of any mechanism to check the prices of milk, poultry and many other essential commodities at wholesale and retail levels, businessmen seem to be enjoying their freedom.

These are issues that affect the public but nothing is being done to ameliorate their misery. Moreover, the quality of these food items is also not checked on a regular basis. Sindh Assembly passed a bill for the establishment of       Sindh Food Authority but it has yet to be established. In the meantime, the commissioner of Karachi is responsible for price and quality control. The commissioner should point out the loopholes in the system and monitor food items and their prices closely so that strict punishment can be meted out to those who fix prices arbitrarily, indulge in adulteration and seek to make profits unjustly.

Nisar Ahmed

Karachi