DC, mayor told to explain hike in fruit prices

Author: agencies/staff report

LAHORE: Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh of the Lahore High Court (LHC) has sought explanation from the Lahore mayor and the deputy commissioner for their alleged failure to control the skyrocketing fruit prices

Both mayor and the deputy commissioner have been ordered to appear before the court no June 8.

During hearing of the petition filed by Judicial Activism Panel Chairman Muhammad Azhar Siddiqui on Monday, the judge questioned if boycott of fruits can decrease their prices, why not the government representatives can do so?

The judge, while addressing a Punjab law officer, said that the current situation had put a question mark over the performance of the mayor. “Should the people boycott the things being sold on exorbitant rates to control their prices,” the court questioned.

The petitioner submitted that the prices of wheat, sugar, maize vegetables and fruits went through the roof with the advent of the fasting month. He said that hoarder and profiteers were minting money from the public while the government had miserably failed to nab such elements. He alleged that the provincial government was doing nothing to control the price-hike.

He said that only 30 Ramazan bazaars had been set up by the government to favour the blue-eyed officials, and the government had failed to take action against hoarders and profiteers.

He requested the court to identify those responsible for the price-hike and take action against them.

Earlier, a three-day boycott was called by civil society and the urban middle class due to increase in prices of fresh fruit by up to 300 percent during the month of Ramazan. This is also the time of year when the biggest choice in seasonal fruit is available.

The move was triggered by hundreds of activists using social media sites and civil society urging consumers to suspend buying fruits for three days in Karachi.

According to sources, the retail prices of fruits and their sales saw a decline by 40 percent to 50 percent during the three-day boycott. However, wholesale trade remained largely unaffected.