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Friday March 29, 2024

Consumers clash at USC outlet after failing to get subsidised items

By Khalid Iqbal
June 18, 2022

Islamabad : The shortage of subsidised kitchen items especially ghee/cooking oil, sugar, and flour at outlets of Utility Store Corporation has started playing on the nerves of people, who on Friday restored to violence by breaking windowpanes and shutters of a store in the federal capital.

There were reports of clashes between a number of people standing in queues outside a USC outlet in the Khanna Pul area of the federal capital forcing the management of the store to lock the doors from inside on Friday.

Talking to ‘The News’ the staff of the USC outlet on condition of anonymity revealed that they have been demanding security for the past two weeks as several clashes took place not only at their store but several others in the nearby localities of the twin cities. They demanded police protection at all stores warning they will not open stores if police protection is not provided. They said that many times the protesters broke windows and shutters of the store. They also complained that the majority of people visiting the store want ghee in bulk, but USC management cannot provide it to them as per their demand.

Utility Stores Corporation (USC) Regional Manager Muhammad Farasat said that they have written several letters to higher authorities to provide security to USC staff in the present circumstances. “We have our private security guards but they could not control this situation. We could sell items according to supply. We cannot bring extra items for all the customers,” he added. He said that there was a big price difference between utility stores and open market shops therefore over 80 per cent of people were trying to purchase all kitchen items from USC outlets. “If people continued this dangerous practice, we will close down all affected stores in Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” he warned.

The government-run stores are selling a 20-kilogram flour bag (low quality) at Rs800 and 1-kilogram ‘ghee’ (low quality) at Rs300 while in the open market a 20-kilogram flour bag (low quality) is available at Rs1200 and 1-kilogram ‘ghee’ at Rs560.

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 USC outlets, it is of low quality.

The quality is no issue for the public now because they wander from one store to the other in search of relief but in vain. The wrong policies of governments have closed all doors of relief therefore people have started continuing to fight each other for kitchen items.

Talking to ‘The News’ consumers belonging to different walks of life said that they were in long queues since morning, when they reached the window, the USC staff announces that ghee and flour have ended. How we could afford skyrocketing prices of kitchen items in the open market.