ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court expressed annoyance on Monday over the state’s failure to provide basic necessities to its citizens, although billions of rupees were being spent on extravagance.

“When people are dying of hunger, millions and billions are spent on extravagance and festivals,” deplored Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja who heads a three-judge bench which had taken up an application of Jamaat-i-Islami Secretary General Liaquat Baloch on the plight of hapless citizens who are being forced to buy flour at exorbitant prices despite the fact that Pakistan is an agricultural country.

The JI leader moved the application after he had received a one-page letter from one Malik Mohammad Nazeer from Chakwal complaining that flour, which was available at Rs13 per kg five years ago, was now being selling in the market at Rs42.

The application says that the unprecedented price hike has made it difficult for people with meagre resources to make both ends meet and feed their children and family.

The court ordered the federal and provincial governments to submit a comprehensive report on measures being taken to keep prices at the lower side and explain whether the interest of growers was taken care of while fixing wheat support prices. The report should also encompass complete data about availability of wheat and flour in the open market.

Additional Advocate General of Punjab Razzaq A. Mirza informed the court that the provincial government had appointed 1,200 magistrates to visit retail markets, check prices and hoarding and profiteering and impose fine and other punishments on the spot under the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act 1977. During a campaign between Nov 1 and Dec 15 last year, 32,990 markets were checked and hefty fines totalling Rs39.5 million were imposed.

“This has helped bring prices of many essential commodities down and stabilise rates of certain items over the past one month,” a report submitted by the AAG said, adding that flour was available at Rs785 per 20kg bag (Rs36 per kg) throughout the province.

Mr Mirza said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had constituted a cabinet committee to monitor prices of essential items on a daily basis. The chief minister himself chairs meetings of the committee which analyses price trends and suggests measures to ensure quality, quantity and availability of essential commodities at fixed prices. He said Sahulat bazaars were also set up thrice a week where essential items were sold at cheap prices. Additional Attorney General Atiq Shah, representing the federal government, informed the court that in compliance with its earlier directives, the Ministry of National Food Security had held a meeting which was also attended by representatives of the four provinces. It took a number of measures which helped reduce the price of flour by Rs7 to Rs8 per kg.

He said the government had fixed the wheat support price at Rs1,200 per 40kg, but explained that it was the responsibility of the provincial governments to keep prices of commodities at a reasonable level.

But the court observed that the unprecedented hike in prices of essential commodities had made the life of ordinary people miserable.

“Media is full of news of people committing suicide because of hunger but the state land worth billions of rupees is either being doled out for a song or encroached upon,” the court regretted. Recently Rs50 million was spent only to hold a festival, it said.

“The Supreme Court will definitely intervene when people die of hunger,” the bench said and wondered about steps taken by the government to keep the prices of essential items at an affordable level.

The case will be taken up on April 14.