RAWALPINDI: Traders on Tuesday asked the district administration to allow the entry of trucks carrying food items into the city as there was shortage of sugar, cooking oil and pulses in the wholesale market.

Talking to Dawn, Rawalpindi Merchant Association President Saleem Pervaiz Butt said, “Trucks carrying sugar, vegetable oil and pulses are parked outside the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the last two days and as a result there is shortage of these items in the retail market.”

However, he said that the district administration did not respond to the request and officials concerned said that there was a ban on entry of all kind of goods vehicles into the district.

He said that due to the shortage of food items, the prices of sugar and pulses had increased in the open market.

On the other hand, a senior official of the district administration said that the traders had been informed last week to store food items as no heavy vehicle would be allowed entry in the district in wake of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad.

However, he said that assistant commissioners would check the availability of food items in the godowns as traders increased the prices in the name of shortage.

He said that the administration would not allow any shopkeeper to sell food items at prices more than the ones fixed by the government.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2024