KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday summoned the Karachi commissioner as he failed to file comments in a petition filed against the sale of various essential commodities on exorbitant rates in the city.

The director general bureau of supply & prices in its comment submitted that the officers were deputed at the behest of commissioner, who further formed committees to carry out price checking and inspecting major markets.

When a two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi took up the matter for hearing on Wednesday, neither anybody turned up on the behalf of commissioner nor filed comments.

The bench expressed serious resentment over the commissioner and directed him to appear in person on April 8. The chief justice remarked that the holy month of Ramazan had almost passed, but the administration had not bothered to file any report about price control.

Holy month has almost ended, but admin has yet to file any report about price control, says chief justice

The DG bureau of supply & prices in his comments submitted that officers had already been deputed at the behest of divisional commissioner for price control and checking.

The reply also maintained that under the relevant laws, the powers of price fixation were with the district controllers and the Sindh government had appointed commissioners, additional commissioners, deputy commissioner and assistant commissioners as district controllers of price and supplies through a notification issued in 2011.

Citing the chief secretary, director general of the bureau of supply & prices, Karachi commissioner, deputy commissioners and others as respondents, a petitioner submitted that the fruits, vegetables and other essential commodities were being sold in the market on much higher prices in violation of official price list issued by the commissioner office during the holy month of Ramazan.

The lawyer for the petitioner contended that despite such contraventions, the respondents had not been taking any action whatsoever against those unscrupulous persons.

The counsel also placed on record the copies of price list and argued that the daily commodities were being sold on exorbitant rates which required penal action. The petitioner also sought directives for respondents to check the prices of such commodities and take necessary legal action.

It is also submitted in the petition that every year with the beginning of the holy month of Ramazan, the prices of essential commodities including fruits, vegetables and pulses as well as edible foods started swelling and rather went beyond the approach of most of the people in the absence of any proper mechanism to enforce official price list.

The petitioner further maintained that the authorities concerned appeared to be helpless instead of dealing such matter with iron hands to compel sellers to sale such commodities at official rates.

After fixing and issuing the prices, he submitted, it was also the responsible of such authorities/respondents to ensure compliance thereto by visiting and raiding such shops and penalising the violators.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2024