Despite govt efforts, prices of essentials soar in Ramazan

Shopkeepers, vendors manage to evade officials’ attempts to control profiteering

KARACHI: Despite Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal’s orders to establish complaint centres across the province to combat the menace of Ramazan profiteers, citizens continue to bear the brunt of exorbitant prices of commodities.

Instead of a reduction in prices, this Ramazan has also seen a hike in the price of essential commodities, as the government failed to implement its fixed prices.

The newly appointed home minister had told officials to conduct raids at different stores and ensure they are following the official price list. But on the second day of Ramazan, the prices were much higher than the government’s rates.



Talking to the media after a meeting on price control, Siyal said the managements of utility stores have asked for security and the police has been mobilised for this purpose. Apart from that, he said that the police have been tasked with taking action against illegal bachat bazaars operating in the province. In rural areas, mobile utility stores will be introduced, he vowed.

The utility stores, he said, have been asked to establish bachat bazaar corners to facilitate shoppers.

Situation at superstores

The city’s superstores have become a bane for tired shoppers. Aslam Khan was shopping at a local grocery store in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. He grabbed a handful of Kabuli chana from a large container but immediately threw it back once he saw the price. "Nowhere in the city can you find affordable commodities," he complained.



High-quality chanas at retail stores are being sold at Rs220 per kilogramme while low-quality channas are being sold for Rs195 per kg even though the government has fixed their prices at Rs110 and Rs98 per kg respectively. "Even in Ramazan one cannot afford to eat spicy cholay," complained Khan.

Open market

The situation at makeshift markets is even worse. Bananas, the most popular fruit during Ramazan, are being sold in Gulistan-e-Jauhar at Rs150 a dozen for high-quality ones and Rs130 for regular quality ones. The commissioner's list priced them at Rs130 a dozen for good quality and Rs110 for average quality.

Similarly, in Saddar golden apples are being sold at Rs320 per kg, however, the commissioner's notified rate was not more than Rs260 for any quality of apple. A fruit vendor near Burnes Road, Allah Dino, had the commissioner's price list in his pocket but refused to follow the rates mentioned. "The commissioner set the price sitting in his air-conditioned room and is unaware of the [real] prices," he said. "We get these apples at Rs290 per kg from the market. How can we sell them at the government's rate?" he questioned.



Meanwhile, the owner of a meat shop in North Karachi insisted on selling chicken at Rs300 per kg and said they have an agreement with the officials, who collect bribes from them every three weeks and let them sell the meat at their own prices. The government's rate for chicken meat is Rs236 per kg.

Hide and seek

Every year the commissioner's team visits markets and chaos erupts for a while but dies down soon enough. On Sunday, according to Gulshan-e-Iqbal Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Arif, their team raided fruit vendors near Maskan Chowrangi and Sunday Bazaar at Nipa Chowrangi and arrested some vendors for selling food commodities at exorbitant prices.

However, on Monday a shopkeeper at Maskan Chowrangi told The Express Tribune that all the shopkeepers have started selling items at their own prices again. "When the commissioner’s team comes the shopkeepers all leave their carts and run away or hide themselves in nearby apartments," the shopkeeper explained, adding that when the team leaves, all the fruit vendors re-emerge and start selling at their own prices again. "This is a routine for the first 10 days of Ramazan at least," he said.