Traders in capital flaunt rate list
FILE
With the advent of Ramazan, prices of all essential commodities including fruit and vegetables have gone up several folds in the federal capital with traders charging consumers at whims.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has failed to enforce the official price list, which traders claimed was not being issued by the authorities regularly.
Amid the absence of enforcement of the price list, consumers find themselves helpless in the face of the ritual profiteering by sellers.
During a market survey, it was observed that tomatoes are being sold between Rs220 and Rs40 per kilogram, melon between Rs230 and Rs260 per kg, potatoes at Rs80 per kg, chicken Rs290 per kg, mutton between Rs1,450 and Rs1,600 and onion between Rs70 and Rs80.
Meanwhile, the ICT administration on Friday imposed section 144, asking shopkeepers to display a rate list of essential items to what it said: “to counter profiteering in the federal capital”.
According to a notification issued by the Islamabad deputy commissioner: "It has been brought to the administration's notice that essential commodities are being sold at high prices than the rates specified by the administration. Moreover, sellers/shopkeepers are not displaying the price list in their shops."
The deputy commissioner ordered the sellers to display the price list as specified to prevent hoarding and profiteering.
“Officers of the food department, agriculture department, market committees, police and area magistrates are authorised to inspect shops and forward the violations to the concerned assistant commissioners for action,” the order said.
“The order will come into force with immediate effect and will remain in force for two months,” it said.
Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner (Secretariat) Aneel Saeed said that the display of the price list of essential commodities is mandatory, otherwise, stern legal action will be taken under section 188 against violators.
He said that section 114 has been imposed keeping in view the practice of selling essential commodities, especially fruit and vegetables at higher rates by shopkeepers.
He said that citizens should avoid resorting to panic buying and abstain from stocking commodities as sufficient stock of edible items was available in the market. "If you purchase food items in bulk quantity, then prices increase due to disruption in the demand and supply chain," he said claiming that the ICT administration was making all-out efforts to provide maximum relief to the public.
Meanwhile, the ICT administration claimed to have imposed a fine of Rs672,000 on shopkeepers for overcharging during its ongoing crackdown on profiteers.
The ICT administration claimed that over 700 shops were randomly inspected in the city and 22 vendors were arrested for profiteering. With additional input APP
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2022.