LAHORE: Price control magistrates in Lahore have failed to enforce the government-notified prices for vegetables and fruits, allowing shopkeepers to overcharge customers and create artificial price hikes in the open market. This lack of regulation has also affected prices in government-regulated bazaars, where vendors have begun disregarding the official price lists, Dawn has learned.

“Usually, prices in Sunday Bazaars are well-regulated. But now, even here, vendors are taking advantage and overcharging customers,” a shopper at Johar Town bazaar told Dawn on Sunday. He said that ginger was unavailable at most stalls, but he eventually found some being sold by a woman vendor at Rs1,000 per kilogram—Rs275 higher than the official price.

“I bought 500 grams of ginger for Rs500, but when I went to the complaint desk, there was no one there, so I couldn’t file my complaint,” he added.

According to the official price list, the best quality potatoes were priced at Rs83 per kg, onions at Rs150, tomatoes at Rs115, garlic at Rs400 to Rs550, and ginger at Rs715. Other vegetable prices included methi at Rs190, brinjal at Rs70, cabbage at Rs130, cauliflower at Rs90, capsicum at Rs230, okra at Rs80, turnips at Rs120, arvi at Rs150, peas at Rs300, bitter gourd at Rs150, green chilies at Rs170, lemons at Rs180, tinda at Rs180, spinach at Rs60, and carrots at Rs90. For fruits, apples were set at Rs230 per kg, bananas at Rs135 per dozen, pomegranates at Rs270 to Rs430, peaches at Rs290, mangoes at Rs140, grapes at Rs420, and dates at Rs460.

“Shopkeepers in open markets openly disregard the price lists, charging around 30% more than the official rates,” complained another shopper at the G-1 Market in Johar Town.

“Whenever I try to argue, they become angry and refuse to follow the prices.”

An official from the Punjab government told Dawn that reforms in price control are urgently needed. “The government should not rely solely on price magistrates, as many are not doing their jobs properly,” the official said. He suggested that the government establish up to 100 small markets in open spaces across Lahore to regulate prices and cut costs.

“These markets could be set up in collaboration with farmers, philanthropists, traders, and market committees. Farmers would bring their produce directly, allowing vendors to sell at lower rates than those in open markets and Sunday Bazaars, eliminating the role of middlemen.”

The official added that areas such as Samanabad, Gulshan Ravi, Iqbal Town, Johar Town, Muslim Town, and others would be ideal for such markets. The Secretary of the Lahore Market Committee was unavailable for comment.

POWER/GAS THEFT: Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) on Sunday detected another 341 connections where customers were pilfering electricity. A spokesperson for Lesco told reporters that the company has also submitted FIR applications against electricity thieves, out of which 109 FIRs have been registered in respective police stations, while 12 people have been arrested by the respective police. During the last 24 hours, according to him, large commercial consumers were also found involved in electricity theft, and all of them were disconnected and charged with detection units. Among the seized connections, 1 was industrial, 12 commercial, 5 agricultural, and 323 domestic, and all these connections were disconnected and charged with a total of 259,994 units as a detection bill amounting to Rs10.906 million.

Also, the SNGPL teams disconnected another 179 illegal connections on Sunday, imposing fines totaling Rs4.8 million on account of gas theft and other illegalities. According to a spokesman, in Lahore, the team disconnected 27 connections for illegal gas use and 10 for compressor use, imposing fines amounting to Rs1.95 million. In Gujranwala, seven connections were severed for unauthorized gas use, and one for compressor misuse, with fines totaling Rs310,000. Similarly, in Faisalabad, seven connections were cut off, with fines amounting to Rs0.06 million. The Sheikhupura team disconnected six illegal connections and imposed Rs1.22 million in fines. In Multan, 32 connections were cut off for illegal use, with four more for compressor misuse. In Sahiwal, two illegal connections were disconnected, and fines totaling Rs210,000 were imposed. The Bahawalpur team severed 10 connections for compressor misuse and 2 for illegal gas use.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2024