CDGK holds traders responsible for essentials' prices crisis

The City District Government Karachi (CDGK) on Saturday held the wholesalers and retailers responsible for irregularities in its campaign to control prices of the essential commodities.
Official sources in Enterprise & Investment Promotion (E&IP) department told Business Recorder here that the wholesalers do not attend meetings on the price control issues regularly due to which the CDGK could not issue its monthly price control list between May 15 and June 15.
When asked some wholesalers were displeased with the inclusion of their names in the price list, to be valid till July 18, 2007, sources replied, their names had been written as per their consent, adding the reason for their displeasure was to avoid the retailers' questions.
Sources, however, said the names of angry wholesalers would be deleted from the list after having a meeting with them. Retailers sell the essential commodities on prices contrary to the list issued by the city government, sources said, adding they do not want at all the issuance of CDGK price list.
On the rejection of CDGK price list by retailers, sources said the list was rejected because it keeps strong check on the retailers' prices leaving no or less chances for profiteering. They said retailers giving less importance to the city government's price list always seek their own profits.
Retailers, on the other hand, rejected the "allegations" as baseless and said the issue could not be settled down until the city government and the wholesalers fix prices of the concerned commodities for retailers. Sources in the retailer associations said the CDGK price list was not compatible with the prevailing market rates as the list issued in June was okayed in a May 17 meeting.
They said the wholesale price for dry milk stands at Rs 288 per kg, while the CDGK list provides that the milk should be sold at Rs 250 per kg which would cause a big loss for the retailers.
Similarly, they said the CDGK list has set the one-kg flour price at Rs 16, while the retailers get it from the wholesalers at Rs 15.87 per kg and will get only 13 paisa if follow the government's list. They said if the city government fixes prices for the retailers in collaboration with the wholesalers they would welcome the new price list and issue and distribute the lists free of costs in the markets.