Sunday Bazaar adds to citizens' woes

The effects of inflation can at the Cheap Sunday Bazaar can be seen in sellers pricing certain fruits and vegetables at three separate prices points.

Citizens, already burdened by high electricity bills and taxes, visit the Sunday Bazaar to procure essential food items at slightly cheaper prices compared to the open market. However, during recent grocery runs, most of them returned from the bazaar feeling disappointed as inflation has made the purchase of essential items a luxury for many.

Onions, at the bazaar, are being sold for Rs120 to 150 per kg, potatoes for Rs120 to 150, tomatoes for Rs120 per kg, ginger for Rs600, garlic for Rs480 per kg, lady fingers for Rs120 per kg, lemon for Rs120 per kg, green chillies for Rs30 per kg and capsicum for Rs160. Bottle gourds are priced at Rs240 per kg, gourds at Rs200 per kg, bitter gourd at Rs160 and and arvi at Rs200 per kg.

As for the summer favourite, mangoes, are being sold for Rs130, Rs250 and Rs300 per kg depending on their type and quality. Sellers trying to set cheaper prices have also set three different prices for apples at Rs150, 250 and 300 per kg. Similarly, peaches are priced between Rs250 to Rs300 per kg and pear is being sold for Rs100 per kg.

Muhammad Idris, Shafiq Ahmed, Tahir Mehmood and Shabbir Ahmed who came to shop at the Cheap Bazaar said, "The name of this bazaar is cheap market, yet vegetables and fruits are not only being sold at expensive prices, but three different price points have been set for each vegetable."

"The administration could not ensure the sale of vegetables and fruits at the fixed rates in this cheap market. Official rate lists are only taken out when the administration comes, and when they leave, the prices are reversed once again," complained the shoppers.