The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have badly failed to provide price lists to shopkeepers, especially to fruit sellers, on daily basis, besides being unable to check quality of fruit and other edibles in the city.
Because of this negligence by the local authorities, shopkeepers continue overcharging customers in various markets of the city. Similarly, no one can question shopkeepers about the quality of edibles and other daily-use items, according to a survey conducted by Pakistan Today.
Owners of meat shops and bakeries display meat and confectioneries without any proper cover, mocking the CDA’s food department officials who conduct regular visits to the city markets. Similarly, most of shopkeepers set up stalls in front of their shops for selling traditional spicy ‘pakora and samosas’ but they neither clean their shops nor do they cover their items.
Various shopkeepers alleged the CDA officials only conducted visits to markets to take bribes from them, but did not ask them about price lists or food quality. “They are taking Rs 300 to Rs 400 from shopkeepers every month,” said a shopkeeper in I-8 Markaz.
An official said it was the responsibility of the ICT administration to issue price lists to shopkeepers daily while the CDA was responsible for checking quality of food. The ICT administration was responsible for issuing price lists and taking action against those shopkeepers who did not display them, he said.
Another shopkeeper, when asked about price lists, said: “I have displayed a year-old price list as the authorities have not provided me with a new one. The officials concerned only ask for their bribe and check no price list,” he said.
“The prices of fruits and vegetables are sky rocketing, but there is no one to control them; if we ask shopkeepers about price lists, they become angry and ask us to go to some other shop,” said Gulnaz Habib, a housewife who was busy in shopping at G-9 Markaz.
Several people said they had frequently tried to lodge a complaint with the ICT cell against unavailability of price lists, but no one attended their phone. “The ICT high-ups must take strict action against the officials of the complaint cell and ensure display of price lists at shops,” they said.
Due to ever-increasing inflation, even relatively affordable items like tomato, onion and potato, the basic ingredients in most of Pakistani foods, are getting beyond the common man’s reach because of unjust and high profit margin.
Deputy Commissioner Aamir Ali Ahmad said the ICT’s food department was fixing the rates of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis while rate lists were being issued to shopkeepers for display and strict implementation. He added the administration had launched a price-checking drive to ensure strict implementation of rate lists and availability of food items at set rates.
