ISLAMABAD: Thousands of people visit Utility Stores Corporation (USC) daily for taking benefit from the billions of rupees subsidy offered by the government on essential food items during the holy month of Ramzan.
The shoppers at G-7 markaz Utility Store while talking to APP said that most of the people prefer utility stores for buying essential food items due to subsidized rates.
They said that the prices of various food items at utility stores are comparatively less than the open market.
Habib ur Rehman, a shopper at G-7 Utility Store lauded the government for announcing subsidy for Ramazan. Quality food items and non-food items are available in utility stores which provide relief to the people, he added.
Farhan, another visitor purchasing flour from the utility store said that number of people visiting these stores has soared to manifold due to the lucrative offers by the government and the stores administration.
A large number of men, women and families could be seen standing in long queues waiting for payment to the cashier at the counters of these utility stores.
Ahmed Ali, a shopper claimed that few shopkeepers are involved in buying food items on subsidized rates from these utility stores and later selling at their general stores.
Talking to APP, the utility store cashier said that the management of Utility Store Corporations has imposed conditions for selling the food items such as one person cannot buy dates more than two kilograms at a time that helps maintaining checks upon shoppers.
He said that this decision of restricted shopping has been imposed to avoid hoarders or shopkeepers who take advantage from the government fixed subsidy for the poor.
The official apprised that the mechanism of monitoring has also been imposed to watch the situation closely and in this regard inspection teams are formed to visit different utility stores without intimation.
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