5 ‘Ramazan Sasta Bazaars’ to be set up in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi
The city district government has approved establishment of five 'Ramazan Sasta Bazaars' in Rawalpindi where fresh and quality kitchen items will be available at subsidised rates during the holy month of Ramazan.
The approval for 'Ramazan Sasta Bazaars' has been given following the directives by Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif.
According to the notification issued by the city district government, initially five 'Ramazan Sasta Bazaars' will be established at Committee Chowk, Shamsabad, Dhoke Hassu, Haideri Chowk and Chungi Number 22 where kitchen items of standard quality will be sold from the first day of Ramazan.
The 'Ramazan Sasta Bazaars' will sell commodities at rates 5 to 10 per cent lower than the open market prices, the city district government has claimed.
Rawalpindi DCO Saqib Zafar Daal has convened a meeting to set prices of certain products in consultation with traders, officers of the revenue department, representative of merchants association, flour mills dealers and meat sellers. To ensure availability of commodities at the decided rates, the officers of different departments, particularly revenue department, will be assigned temporary powers of price magistrates during the holy month of Ramazan. They will monitor the 'Ramazan Sasta Bazaars' and also raid those selling goods at prices higher than the specified rates.
It is likely that the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) will reduce the prices of commodities of daily use by 10 to 15 per cent.
Town Officer (Regulation) Tousif Ahmed told ‘The News’ that initially five 'Ramazan Sasta Bazaars' will be established at different locations in Rawalpindi where kitchen items would be provided at cheaper prices. These bazaars would be operational a day before 1st Ramazan-ul-Mubarak, he claimed.
On the other hand, as the holy month of Ramazan comes nearer, profiteers and hoarders have become active to gain maximum profits during this mega buying month. The prices of essential commodities have already gone sky high ahead of the holy month. Besides vegetables and fruits, all basic commodities have witnessed an increase in their prices, burdening more the already troubled common man.
A survey conducted by ‘The News’ revealed that the prices of all kinds of fruits and vegetables have been increased by 80-100%. The prices of more than 25 kitchen items like sugar, rice, pulses, chicken, beef, mutton, vegetables and fruit have shot up in markets.
The country is already in the grip of hyperinflation, while the advent of Ramazan has further aggravated the situation taking the prices of fruits and vegetables sky-high and much beyond the purchasing power of the common man.
Wholesalers and retailers, particularly of fruits and vegetables, are enjoying a free hand to fleece consumers ahead of the holy month.
Dates are available from Rs150 to Rs 200 per kilogram, while chicken is being sold at the rate of Rs190 per kilogram. Gram flour, widely used in Ramazan for making ‘pakoras’ is already selling at the rate of Rs80. Yogurt is being sold at Rs90 to Rs100 per kilogram while a litre of milk costs Rs80 to Rs100. Sugar prices have broken all previous records and it is being sold at Rs65 per kilogram in retail shops.