Sindh govt issues directives for checking price hike, hoarding

KARACHI: Sindh government’s Directorate General for Bureau of Supply and Prices has announced that proactive approach may be adopted by all the District Controllers (Prices & Supply) and Special Magistrates (Price Control) of the District Administration, so that the common man may be benefited from their sincere efforts under the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 2005.

Moreover, especially for the forthcoming Holy Month of Ramadan–2023, the following strategy and recommendations to control the prices of essential commodities and to ensure the availability of essential items on regular basis in the market may be ensured to prevent hoarding, black-marketing and illegal profiteering of essential commodities, accordingly:

1- Meetings may be held with the manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, grocers, bakers, sweets, Nimco, milk, chicken, meat merchant, etc., besides consumers associations, other stakeholders and Govt. functionaries to rationalize prices and ensure availability of all essential commodities including food items in market.

2- Prices of vegetables, fruits (daily), Kiryana/ groceries (fortnightly/ monthly) and also other essential items may be fixed regularly and published in the official gazette as required under Section 7(1) of the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 2005 and ensure their distribution to display in the premises of shops and hawkers, etc.

3- The Assistant Commissioners and Mukhtiarkars on behalf of the Deputy Commissioners along with Officers/ Officials of the Bureau of Supply & Prices and Market Committees are required to visit and monitor auction process of vegetables and fruits in the Fruit & Subzi Mandis/ Markets on daily basis, situated in their respective jurisdictions to ensure transparency and also to reduce gap between wholesale and retail prices.

4- The Assistant Commissioners and Mukhtiarkars may be directed to pay surprise visits in markets along with deputed Officers/ Officials (vigilance team) of Bureau of Supply & Prices for price checking and implement the notified Price Lists.

5- The District Administrations and the Bureau of Supply & Price, Sindh may be required to establish Control Room/ Complaint Centres in their respective offices/ jurisdictions in Sindh and inform through print and electronic media for creating awareness among the general public regarding registration of complaints and their redressal against the illegal profiteering and non-display of Price lists etc.

6- All Deputy Commissioners are requested to direct all the manufacturers/ importers and dealers of the essential food and general items to mention prices, date of manufacturing, expiry, ingredients, net and gross weight on each and every product for information of the consumers.

7- The Director General, Sindh Food Authority, is requested to take stern action against adulteration, i.e., fresh milk, spices of all sorts, pressure meat, oil, ghee, Besan/Gram pulse, etc., and expired products.

8- The District Administrations may take steps to establish Ramadan Bachat Bazaars (Sasta Bazaars) in big towns in their respective Districts and facilitate in organizing such bazaars under auspicious of the Bureau of Supply & Prices, Sindh, for sale of fruits, vegetables and Kiryana and other food items at cheaper/notified prices.

9- The Food Department/ Utility Store Corporation of Pakistan may be requested to arrange availability of wheat flour and essential food items in the Bachat Bazaars (Sasta Bazaars) at subsidized price. The organizers will be required to provide space at prominent places.

10- In addition to the above, the Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan and Provincial Food Department may be requested to arrange availability of sufficient stock of essential food items throughout the Province to guard against artificial shortage & maintain smooth availability of all food items.

11- The Director General, Agriculture Marketing and the (Regional Directors Market Committee) in Sindh are requested to direct the Administrators/ Chairmen and the Secretaries, Market Committee (s) in Sindh to ensure entry of all loaded trucks/ vehicles, carriages and carts, etc., of the vegetables and fruits inside the Mandis/ Markets for proper participations and coordinate with Special Magistrate (s) and officers of BSP, Sindh in their respective jurisdiction (Subzi Mandi) to ensure transparent auction and collect data for fixation of prices by the District Controller (s) regularly in accordance with law, rules and policy.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023