Price tag: SHC wants to know status of food pricing authority

Court hears petition against hike in prices of dairy products

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) asked on Thursday the assistant advocate-general (AAG) to file comments regarding the status of the proposed authority to regulate food prices in the province.

Headed by SHC chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the bench directed AAG Ghulam Mustafa Mahesar, to file a reply by the next date of hearing.

The two judges passed this direction while hearing a petition against the hike in diary prices and the formation of a task force to regulate them.

The petition filed by public interest litigant, Muhammad Imran Shehzad, alleged that the authorities concerned are not fixing the prices of dairy products in accordance with the procedure provided under the Price Control and Prevention Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977.

Shehzad recalled that the SHC had, in August 2016, directed the authorities to evolve a mechanism to control and maintain the prices of dairy product. He cited that authorities had recently increased had price of the commodity arbitrarily in violation of court’s earlier order.

The court was pleaded to direct the law enforcement agencies, including Rangers and police, to ensure the sale of milk at Rs70 per litre.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s chief food inspector appeared along with a report on performance of his department for the last 15 years. The officer said a summary had been addressed to the chief minister to establish the food authority, which will regulate prices and standard of essential commodities in the province. He added that according to his information the CM had approved the summary.

The chief food inspector stated, however, that such authority will not be set up under the control of the metropolitan corporation. Upon this, CJ Shah directed Mahesar to seek instructions from the provincial chief secretary regarding establishment of the proposed food authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st,  2016.