The prices of household and daily use commodities have sky rocketed in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad during the month of Ramazan leaving the consumers at the mercy of gluttonous traders minting money from the masses.
The fruits and vegetables sellers were selling green grocery at exaggerated rates and openly flouting the prices set by the market committees of the twin cities. However, the milkmen had made self assumed increase in the prices of milk and yogurt.
The cloth and garments prices were also made doubled by the sellers without any reason before Eid shopping that forced the people to opt for window shopping.
The market committee prices for potato was ranging from Rs 25 to Rs 32 whereas in open market or city shops it was sold for Rs 55 per kilogram. The tomato was sold for Rs 120 to Rs150 where the official price was set at Rs 75 to Rs 90. The prices of onion was ranging from Rs40 to Rs 57 and the local sellers were selling at Rs 80 to Rs 110.
The prices for ginger and garlic as per market committee list was set at Rs 190 and Rs 355 per kg respectively where ginger was sold for Rs 400 and garlic for Rs 650. The Kala Kullu apple’s price was set for Rs 242 which was sold Rs 400 and the local apple was sold for Rs 300 against its set price of Rs 165 per kg. The local banana was sold for Rs 300 against its set price of Rs 200.
The desi water melon was sold for Rs 250 against the set price of Rs105 per kg. Strawberry was sold for Rs 400 against the set price of Rs 277 per kg.
Similarly, the milkmen were selling yogurt at Rs 160 to Rs 170 against the official price of Rs 140 per kg. The milk prices were increased to Rs 140 per liter against the set price of Rs 120 per litre.
The district administrations of the twin cities have established proper teams to check and control the prices of the commodities.
The cloth and garments markets were also imposing the prices of various pullovers of their own will.
The unstitched clothes were starting from Rs 4,000 which were earlier sold for Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,000 for male where female’s garments were sold for Rs 3,500 to Rs 7,000 on average whereas these varieties included branded and locally manufactured variety.
The tailors had also stopped booking for sewing clothes to mint money and were demanding wages of their own desire. On average female cloth tailor was sewing a suit for Rs 600 to Rs 800 and was now charging Rs 1,200 owing to the Eid season. The male tailors were also follow suiting their counterparts and were charging Rs 1500 to Rs 1800 against the earlier wages of Rs 800 to Rs 1000.
The people have demanded the district administrations to clampdown against the profiteers that were making it difficult for the middle income masses to meet their needs in the holy month of Ramazan.
When contacted the quarters concerned, the officials remained unavailable to provide their versions on the issue whereas they had earlier issued notifications for price control committees tasked to contain the price hike.
