Citizens for crackdown on profiteers

Prices of household items, fruit and vegetables go up overnight

ISLAMABAD:

Citizens of the twin cities urged the administration to crackdown on profiteers and hoarders who have hiked up the prices of essential items twofold as the holy month of Ramazan is around the corner.

A market survey conducted by APP found that prices of staples, kitchen items, fruits, and vegetables have all increased significantly before the start of Ramazan.

While some shopkeepers claim that market players are responsible for the price hike, citizens believe that leniency on the part of price control committees is the main reason behind the soaring prices. Many residents have also reported that shopkeepers and fruit vendors are not complying with the rate list issued by the district administration. As a result, citizens are calling for strict action against violators of the rate list, especially during Ramazan, so that profiteers and hoarders cannot exploit the common people. Some fruit and vegetable vendors have also been accused of hoarding produce in cold stores and then selling them at excessive rates just before the start of Ramazan.

To address these concerns, the district administration of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) has announced plans to establish 12 Ramazan bazaars for an uninterrupted supply of essential items and edibles at reasonable prices. However, citizens have expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of items sold at these bazaars.

“The stall owners at these bazaars sell low-quality items and the administration often turn a blind eye to this problem,” Zaheer Abbasi, a resident of Margalla Town said. Despite the global economic recession and the wrong policies of the previous government, citizens believe that skyrocketing prices can be controlled if the administration deal with profiteers and hoarders with an iron hand. Zaheer said, “We understand that high inflation in Pakistan is not without reasons, but the unjust profit makers cannot be allowed to operate freely if we want to control skyrocketing prices and ensure that essential items are affordable for all during the holy month of Ramazan.”

According to Waqas Malik, an employee of a private bank, retailers and businesses around the world typically offer discounts and price reductions on various products, including essential commodities and household items during Christmas and other religious events.

However, in Pakistan, the opposite is true, as businesses tend to increase prices of every product, particularly essential items, during Ramazan. Concerned citizens have called on shopkeepers, stall owners, and other businesses to reduce their profit margins during Ramazan, rather than raising prices. This, they argue, would ensure that essential items remain accessible to the common people.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2023.