HYDERABAD, Sept 2: People were greeted with skyrocketing prices of fruits, subsidised flour missing from shelves at Utility Stores and soaring prices of milk as they began the first day of fasting month on Tuesday.

Prices of fruits remained in sharp contrast to the rates fixed by the DCO a couple of days ahead of Ramazan. Around 35 to 50 per cent surge in prices of fruits was witnessed on the first day and there was subsidised flour at the Utility Stores, leaving the poor and the lower middle class people high and dry.

The revenue and market committee staff has issued price lists to almost each fruit vendor of the city and they do have it with them but they think better than implementing it.

Fruit vendors blame wholesalers and commission agents for raise in prices. “We should not be blamed for overcharging because we are getting the same at exorbitant rates from the fruit market,” said a vendor at Market Tower.

He asked the district government officials to tighten screws in the fruit market to bring down prices at the consumers’ end.

Prices had started showing a steady rise at least a week before the advent of the holy month and consumers were fearing a steep rise while revenue officials who were required to bring stability in prices confined their job to holding meetings and issuing price lists.

They did not have a serious discussion with commission agents or wholesalers of fruit market to be able to arrest price hike. “There is always the principle of demand and supply at work in markets and during Ramazan people from even an average income group also buy fruits,” said Najmuddin Qureshi, former general secretary of wholesale fruit and vegetable commission agent group.

According to him a 14 kilogram box of grapes (sundarkhani of Afghanistan) is sold for Rs800-900 while a 6kg box of Quetta’s grapes (sundarkhani) is sold for Rs400-500.

It puts per kg wholesale cost of the two varieties at around Rs64 and 75 per kg. The two varieties are being sold at Rs100 and Rs120 per kg. Likewise, the watermelon which is to be sold at Rs16 per kg is available at Rs20 per kg. Buyers are forced to purchase dates at Rs100 per kg against rate of Rs68.

Against official price of Rs40 Golden Apple-1 (golden) is being sold at Rs50 per kg and guava has the highest retail price of Rs40 per kg against just Rs16 per kg of official rate.

While buyers were cursing retailers and wholesalers alike for steep rise in prices they also blamed price magistrates and revenue magistrates for not coming to their rescue.

The revenue magistrates would normally visit markets during closing hours as they did not have anything to do with the plight of consumers who were fleeced throughout the day. They would just impose fines and did not force commission agents and wholesalers to ensure stability in rates.

Price control centers wore a deserted look as none of the price control committee, comprising at least 30 members, was seen visiting the market.

On the other hand USC’s outlets in the city do not have subsidised flour, which is to be sold at Rs15 per kg. At the UCS’s Qasimabad outlet, neither flour nor oil was available.

Consumers complained about inferior quality of sugar which they said was not at par with the one available in open market. “Sugar is being sold at Rs30.50 per kg while in the open market it is available at Rs30 per kg. Oil is not available here,” said an old man, Mehrab, who had come from Sheedi Goth. The USC official present there said that oil had just finished.

Consumers believe that the USC staff sells out subsidised goods to open market. A landowner, Haji Ghaus Mohammad, said that there was visible difference in rates at the USC and open market.

He quoted some rates which were in contrast to the ones available in open market like tea, toothpaste. Similar complaints were received at Hyder Chowk’s outlet where the official said that subsidised flour had arrived but it had not been delivered to them.

USC’s regional manager Shamsuddin Channa avoided replying to queries. No meeting could be held between the district government officials and retail milksellers to discuss the situation regarding milk which was being sold at Rs40-42 per kg against official rate of Rs35 per kg.