PESHAWAR, Feb 21: The prices of vegetables and fruits in the provincial metropolis have been increased due to no check from the authorities concerned, people complained here on Thursday.

“If the soaring prices of vegetables, fruits and meat are not controlled, the concept of healthy diet will be just a dream for the common people,” a citizen said.

The officials are least interested to bind the retailers at least to display price lists at their shops. However, during a visit to the vegetable and fruit shops in Saddar, shopkeepers claimed that the prices had been increased due to supply of the food items to the neighbouring country.

“Most of the items, particularly oranges, bananas and guava were not being supplied to the local markets but sent to Afghanistan directly via the Ring Road,” a shopkeeper claimed.

Some of the retailers said prices of vegetable were fixed by the shopkeepers themselves and they were not bound to display price lists. The prices of most of the items had started rising during the tenure of the current caretaker set-up that had ‘no check’ on big markets.

It was learnt that prices of radish, carrots and potatoes were not increased much as they were being grown in the province, while the prices of rest of the vegetables had been multiplied. Prices of some items including cumber, eggplant, gourd, bitter gourd, ladyfingers and green pepper had increased more than double the normal prices.

Same is the position of fruits. Traders confessed that prices of all kinds of fruits had increased but some of them including banana, guava, pomegranates, oranges and kenos had been increased beyond expectations. The price of seasonal fruits, particularly kenos, oranges increased due to supply across the border.

“Only two per cent oranges were being supplied to the local markets and the rest of the stock was being sent to Afghanistan, where its rates had increased manifold,” a trader said. “The locally supplied fruits are not good in quality but people are compelled to buy them as they have no other option.”

Meanwhile, butchers in the city have also increased their prices without any official notification in this regard, many consumers in the provincial capital said.

“Beef with bones is being sold from Rs120 to Rs130 per kg,” a local said. “The butchers have fixed rates at their own will.”

Another resident complained: “They officials of food department are least bothered to visit the shops in the streets of different localities where the people are being fleeced with both hands.”

A butcher in Saddar bazaar said fluctuations in the price was being witnessed due to shortage of animals, saying that due to reports of bird flu, people had started buying beef and mutton, which caused shortage of animals in the market.