Only setting up ‘Sasta Bazaars’ not enough to control price-hike in Ramazan

Rawalpindi

The residents have demanded of the provincial government to strictly monitor the prices of the food products in the open markets because only setting up 'Sasta Bazaars' is not enough to control artificial price-hike in Ramazan.

"It is not enough to set up 'Sasta Bazaar' and let the traders and shopkeepers in the open markets do whatever they want to earn undue profit. The provincial government must ensure that all the shopkeepers follow the rate lists and those who are involved in charging extra money should be brought to book," said Maqsood Kiyani, a resident of Dhoke Hassu area.

He said the price control committees should be efficient to keep vigil over the traders and the shopkeepers who lose no opportunity to mint extra money from the customers citing false reasons.

It is pertinent to mention here that the opportunist traders, vendors and shopkeepers have increased rates of almost all the daily use commodities ahead of the Ramazan in violation of the rates, fixed by price control committees.

"The customers keep complaining that shopkeepers and stall-holders flatly refuse to sell food items according to official rate lists. But it seems there is no one to make them accountable for their illegal act," said Ishaq Malik, a visitor at a market in Khyaban-e-Sir Syed.

He said the consumers committees are formed all over the world to control price-hike but the people of Pakistan are yet to think about it despite facing unprecedented raise in the prices of the food products.