Fruits and vegetables’ sellers at Sunday Bazaar are forced to purchase and sell low quality produce because of the negligence of officers concerned.
According to a survey, it was revealed that sellers at the Shadman Sunday Bazaar remained busy in selling bad fruits and vegetables to citizens, and citizens who visited the Bazaar were forced to buy these commodities, as most of them could not afford the rates in the markets.
Many said that they were forced to buy these fruits and vegetables because they had to save money for electricity and gas bills, besides the fee for their children.
Sellers told this scribe that the rates of quality produce were very high in the mandi and they could only supply what they could afford themselves.
It was found during the survey that most of the vendors had also hushed up the rates lists and were selling fruits and vegetables to citizens at higher rates.
Low quality produce was also being sold at two different rates in the Bazaar. Pakistan Today’s survey showed that many items being sold, including pumpkin at Rs 44-45 per kg, bell pepper Rs 85, peas Rs 185, onions Rs 49, bitter gourd Rs 60, spinach Rs 13, lemon Rs 80, ginger Rs 200, potatoes Rs, 19-32, cauliflower Rs 40, and squash at Rs 50, were all of low quality.
Fruits were being sold at double rates and most fruit vendors were ready to sell their fruits at two different prices because they had fruits of two different qualities.
Grapes were being sold at Rs 200 and Rs 120 per kg, apples at Rs 100-100 and Rs 50-60, bananas at Rs 40-50, etc.
Many of the people buying the goods said that the fruits being sold in the Bazaar were not even fresh. They said that the current government was only making claims about the quality of the goods in these Bazaars and no checks were in place to ensure proper prices or quality produce.
Shoes selling clothes, shoes and garments were also not following any of the rate lists and the sellers said that they had not been given a rate sheet to follow at all.
The DCO spokesperson claimed that the DCO office was not compromising on the quality of the commodities. However, he accepted that some vendors were selling low quality vegetables and fruits.