Rawalpindi gets 16 Sasta Ramazan bazaars
The Rawalpindi district administration has fixed new prices of essential commodities besides making 16 Ramazan Sasta Bazaars, 34 Fair Price Shops, and 8 Sasta Saheri Bazaars functional to help mitigate the impacts of high inflation on the low-income strata.
Sources in the administration said that 10 Ramazan Sasta Bazaars have been set up in the Cantonment areas and one each in Murree, Kotli Sattian, Kallar Syedan, Kahutta, Gujar Khan, and Taxila.
They said Sasta Sehri Bazaars have been established at Kartarpura, Landa Bazaar, Kashmiri Bazaar, Pir Wadhai, Sadiq Abad, and Lal Kurti areas of the garrison city.
Local officials with magisterial powers will monitor prices at these bazaars daily.
Other Sasta Ramazan Bazaars have been set up at Committee Chowk, Allam Iqbal Park, Haidree Chowk, Dhok Hasso, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, Gulzar Quaid, Morgah, Chungi 22, Chakri and in Chauhar Chowk.
Altogether, 60 price control magistrates have been appointed in the district.
All essential items including chicken, pulses, rice, beef, and grocery items are available at these bazaars. All these markets will be converted into Eid Bazars on the 20th of Ramazan.
Meanehile, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema has issued a notification regarding the new prices of pulses, bread, milk, yogurt, rice, and other grocery items.
On other hand, dairy unions, Nanbai associations, and other traders' unions have rejected the news prices, calling them irrational.
They also announced that not a single commodity will be available at these prices.
Leaders of the associations demanded of the deputy commissioner and all assistant commissioners to withdraw the notification.
They said if the administration wanted them to sell items at such low prices, then it should make all these items available for them at the wholesale level.
On the other hand, the Environment Protection Department has started a crackdown against the illegal use of polythene bags. A senior research officer at the Environment Protection Department, Ameen Baig, confirmed that a ban is in effect on the use of black, blue and polythene bags of other colours across Punjab. Shopping bags less than 15-micron width cannot be used also, he said.
In case of violation, a magistrate can send the violator behind the bars for up to 3 months and can impose a fine of Rs50,000.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2023.