KARACHI: Karachi administration, as per directives of Commissioner, challaned 2305 shop-keepers and retailers, jailed 54 of them and recovered fine money worth Rs.35,550 for over-charging and fleecing consumers in June 2013.
Additional Commissioner of Karachi (Two), Haji Ahmad, sharing details, with the media, of the crackdown against price hikers in the city said Commissioner, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui who is also the Controller General of Prices - Karachi has constituted a committee so as to protect the rights of consumers.
"Commissioner Karachi as per law, in his capacity as Controller General of Prices, is authorized to fix rates and prices for all edible items and essential consumable items for the citizens of Karachi," he said in reply to a question.
The Price Committee, he said is headed by Additional Commissioner, Karachi (Two) and includes representatives of Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association, Retailers Grocers Alliance, Karachi Atta Chakki Association, Karachi Retailers Grocers'Group, Consumer Council of Sindh, Consumers' Rights Protection Council,, Consumers' Forum Karachi and Consumers Association of Pakistan.
To another query, he said rates for food and other essential consumable items have always been fixed after taking all stakeholders on board.
"Idea is to counter fluctuations in the cost of the essential items, with particular reference to food goods," said Haji Ahmed the Additional Commissioner (two) for Karachi.
He said the committee, in realization of its responsibilities, has also extensively reviewed the availability of food items for Karachiites and fixed rates for 77 items for a period of 15 days, from July one to July 15.
The exercise, he said established stability in cost of 42 items, decline in the cost of five - that collectively comes to Rs.105 and surge in the cost of 30 other goods, that again collectively comes to Rs.200 and Paisa 50.
Additional Commissioner, Haji Ahmed, accompanied by Secretary of Price Committee, Syed Zahid Hussain and Media Director, Mohammad Shabih Siddiqui drew the media attention towards certain decline in the cost of no less than 30 items compared to the price they were available during last Ramzan.
"An accumulative slash of Rs.1444 has been registered in the cost 30 items while surge of Rs.1608 has been registered in the cost of 37 items," he said.
Haji Ahmed said that in a nut-shell the difference in price rise is Rs.164 that on an average comes to Rs.two and Paisa 12.
The Chairman Price Committee said that to ensure easy public accessibility, at affordable rates, to quality food and essential items all assistant commissioners have been assigned the responsibility to keep strict vigil on price rates in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
These Assistant Commissioners, in realization to their official responsibilities, as per directives of Karachi Commissioner, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, had in June this year challaned 1473 milk sellers, 612 retailers of whole chicken and its meat, 31 meat sellers, 129 vegetable sellers, 60 fruit sellers, 76 general stores and 110 flour retailers for price hike.
"They were fined of a total amount of Rs.35,5500 while 54 of them were jailed for repeated violation of officially approved price list," the Additional Commissioner of Karachi told the journalist.
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