Subsidised items in short supply at Utility Stores

Islamabad : The government had provided subsidy on five eatable items; 'Atta', 'Ghee', pulses, rice and sugar but 'Atta', 'Ghee', pulses and rice are not available in utility stores in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for more than three months. Only sugar (low quality) is available in USC while other four subsidised items are not available.

The consumers are protesting in front of every utility store on regular basis and demanding to provide subsidised items but in vain. Not only subsidised items but several other items like shampoo, washing powders etc are also not available in stores for over a month. In fact, flourmills, ghee/cooking oil companies, dealers of pulses/rice and all other branded companies have refused to sell their items on subsidised rates to USC. The USC was providing 1-kilogram ghee (low-standard) at Rs260 and fine quality at Rs355 but ghee/cooking oil mills have refused to provide these items on this price and demanded to increase prices as per market. The USC was providing a 20-kilogram bag 'Atta' at Rs950 but flourmills have refused to provide commodity on this rate and demanded to increase rates.

The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Regional Manager Raja Zulqarnain told 'The News' that we have started supplying ghee/coo­king oil to stores. We are negotiating to all companies on prices issue to provide all items on previous prices, he said. He said that issue would be resolved very soon. This situation has forced consumers to buy these items from the open market at higher rates thus affecting their monthly budgets. Although sugar is available at the USC outlets, it is of low quality. The USC has already increased the prices of a 20-kilogram'Atta' bag from 800 to Rs950, 1-kilogram ghee from 170 to Rs260 and sugar from Rs68 to Rs85. Despite it, 'atta' 'ghee'/cooking oil, pulses and rice are not available in all stores of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The Managers of different stores on anonymity said that public was using rough language for us due to absence of all subsidized items in stores.