NOORPUR THAL
The holy month of Ramazan is round the corner and the prices of daily-use items have started shooting up across the Thal.
During a survey conducted by ‘The Nation’ the people said that the Tehsil Administration had failed t adopt any price control mechanism to curb the soaring prices that had made the life of people miserable.
Talking to this scribe, former Vice-Chairman Shah Nawaz Khan, Advocate Raja Muhammad Ashraf Hayat, social workers Malik Muhammad Yousaf and Muhammad Nawaz said that it has become a norm that instead of providing relief during the holy month of Ramazan, a sudden increase in the prices of essential items becomes effective.
It is also learnt that lentils, spices, dates and other food items are sold at high prices. Former councillors Raja Safdar Hussain, Haji Noor Muhammad, Maher Rukn-e-Alam, Malik Muhammad Waris Jasra, Malik Tahir Mehmood Ghanjira and Lamberdar Iltaf Hussain said that the government was busy in its politics and still had made no arrangements for Ramazan in the Thal. They said that the TMA had failed to control prices of daily foot items. Social workers Muhammad Ejaz Rajput, Tariq Masood Ayaz, Muhammad Amin and Raja Dilawar Kamran told that the vendors did not implement on the price list given by the Market Committee, as they always sold commodities at higher prices as compare to the list.
Expressing concern over the price hike of essential items, especially chicken, fruits, vegetables and other food item, people of Thal urged the authorities concerned to take measures to control the situation before start of Ramazan. They were of the view that a mafia had started black marketing which would seriously affect prices in coming days. On the other hand, the shop owners blamed wholesalers for the increase in price while the public blamed price control committees for not performing their duties properly.
Shopkeepers Sikandar Hayat and Nazakat Ali said that all national and multinational companies were selling essential food commodities such as sugar, spices, tomatoes, chicken, white chickpea (dal safed chana), brown chickpea (dat lal chana), flour, potato, red chilly and gram flour at 16 to 20 per cent increased prices during the Ramazan.