The prices of essential food items especially rice, lentils, sugar, edible oil, garlic, onion, meat, fish, spices and vegetables continue to rise while a section of dishonest and greedy businessmen are allegedly engaged in adulteration of food items to earn extra profit. Ruthless adulteration in food items is a big health hazard that needs to be taken notice of by the authorities. Similarly, the increase in the prices of essential commodities is causing immense suffering to the people belonging to the middle-income groups. Although rates of the basic commodities have shot up yet the income of the people has not increased. This is making their life extremely miserable. So far, the provincial governments and the local authorities have not taken effective measures to check price hike and food adulteration. Confession of the Federal government regarding the failure of the provincial governments to control price hike and food adulteration is, indeed, good and appreciable but that does not help the suffering people in any way. The poor people of Pakistan want practical action to end their misery. However, the Federal government should also get into action to bring down the prices of the essential food products. It also has to stop food adulteration. It is proposed that the Federal Government must launch a concerted drive to check illegal price hike and food adulteration by deploying mobile courts and file criminal cases against the traders responsible for food adulteration and price hikes. If this price-controlling drive continues only for two months, it will pay the expected dividend. HASHIM ABRO, Islamabad, December 1.