Rawalpindi traders ‘agree’ to sell sugar at Rs90 per kg

RAWALPINDI:

After an adequate supply, Rawalpindi traders have agreed to sell sugar at Rs90 per kilogram from November 10.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali chaired a meeting of the price control committee and representative of city and cantonment Karyana Merchant Associations and price magistrates also attended the meeting.

The deputy commissioner said selling locally produced sugar was completely banned in the market and 33 stalls had been set up across the district to sell the imported sugar.

The district administration was supplying the imported commodity to shopkeepers and citizens from seven big stalls set up in the wholesale markets of Rawalpindi. Four stalls have been designated for the city areas while three have been designated for cantonment areas, the meeting was told.

The rate of locally produced sugar has spiked to Rs160 per kg and its scarcity persists and the shopkeepers have stopped selling the commodity to escape getting fined.

The meeting was told that the district administration has supplied 4,000 sugar bags weighing 50kgs and 5,000 sugar bags will be supplied on Wednesday (today).

The meeting was told that cases will be registered against violators and hoarders and shops will be sealed if sugar was recovered from a warehouse.

Markazi Karyana Merchant Association representatives urged people to report the matter to the association if retailers refused to sell sugar at Rs90 per kg or made excuses about the shortage of the commodity.

Meanwhile, citizens including Haji Nawaz, Khoush Gul Khan and Riyasat Ali said that the sugar crisis still persisted in the city despite the government’s claims of bulk supply. They said that low-priced sugar was still unavailable in many neighbourhoods.

Markazi Karyana Merchant Association President Pervaiz Butt said that all shopkeepers in Rawalpindi have been supplied with imported sugar. He said the district administration has assigned the responsibility to the association to check the availability of the commodity and ensure the uninterrupted supply.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2021.