HYDERABAD, Aug 31: District revenue officers assumed the powers of first and second class magistrates five days ago to control prices, but the Hyderabad government has yet to issue price lists for fruit, vegetables, mutton and grocery items.

The prices are mostly unchecked despite the central government’s claim that price control magistrates would take action in this regard.

Although the district government claim to have established complaint centres in four talukas of the district, the issuance of price lists remained largely dependent on a consensus yet to be evolved between district government officials, retailers and wholesalers.

Ramazan is approaching fast and price control mechanism is yet to be introduced whereas as under the Finance Bill 2006 the price controlling magistrates are supposed to work throughout the year.

Last year, the district government formed price control committees, but these failed to implement their recommended prices.

Market sources told Dawn on Wednesday that retailers disagreed with revenue officers over prices of chilli, rice and pulses on the ground that prices they were being asked to offer to consumers were not feasible because they would cause monetary losses to them.

The retailers said that government officials apparently were not ready to persuade the wholesalers to fix prices. They only stressed upon retailers to fix the prices released by the district government.

“We are being asked to sell grade one rice, pulse and chilli at the rate of grade 2 which is impossible. The district government is not ready to control wholesalers and is only asking us to reduce our margin of profit,” said a known retailer of the city.

“For an instance we buy rice at Rs38 per kg from the wholesaler of Karachi and we are being asked to sell it at Rs36 per kg. Do you think it is possible? The wholesalers should be asked to control the rates and prices, the retailers will automatically be under control,” contended another retailer.

Kiryana merchants said prices of pulses always varied keeping in view supply in the market and mostly pulses are being imported. They said the district government did not give any weight to the argument of demand and supply formula.

The Hyderabad DCO, EDO, DO and DDOs revenue, Mukhtiarkar and assistant Mukhtiarkar have been delegated with powers of first class magistrate under the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering Ordinance 2005 by the sessions judge Hyderabad on Aug 25, 2006. The court has also defined their jurisdictions.

The revival of administrative magistracy took place in the Finance Bill 2006 in which price fixation, monitoring and controlling of essential commodities was assigned at the provincial and district administration level.

The EDO revenue had chaired a meeting of traders and businessmen dealing in general commodities, commission agents of fruit and vegetables on Aug 19. It fixed prices of pulse Masoor (imported) at Rs40 per kg while until Aug 29, it was being sold between Rs46 to Rs48 per kg. Likewise, pulse Channa No.1 is being sold at Rs46 while according to price control magistrate rate should not be over Rs40 per kg. The mutton is being sold in market at Rs220 per kg while as per official decision, yet to be enforced, it is to be sold at Rs200 per kg. Mash was being sold between Rs78 to Rs80, but its official price is Rs76 per kg.

Although the meeting decided to review price lists of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis because of varying nature of rates every day, none of the official is reported to have visited the Sabzi Mandi to seek prices. Fruit and vegetable commission agents said revenue officials had not perhaps worked out as to how to make prices of commodities affordable by consumers.

These prices were to be enforced for 15 days and a review is due after a fortnight, but implementation is being delayed for unknown reasons.

According to the EDO revenue, the prices are to be notified and will be done so by the DCO.

Hyderabad Onion, Potato and Vegetable Commission Agents Group president Altaf Memon said: “No one from the district government has so far visited us to obtain rates of vegetables after auction, although it was decided that such visits would be mandatory by officials on a daily basis.”