RAWALPINDI: Special markets that have been set up in eight locations in the city to facilitate citizens this Ramazan are selling substandard fruits, vegetables and other items at high rates.

Only 20 and 50 kg bags of sugar, which is being sold at Rs55 per l
The bagswere purchasedbyshopkeepers from nearby areas, who sold them at Rs68 per kg.

Live chicken is available at Rs159 per kg while chicken meat is being sold at Rs240 per kg.

The price of lemons was Rs90 per kg, dates, Rs350 to Rs550 per kg; onions Rs50 per kg; potatoes Rs150 per kg; melons Rs30 per kg; peaches Rs200 per kg; spinach, Rs50 a bundle and green chillies for Rs100 per l
According to the visitors to the markets, the quality of thefruits and vegetables was substandard compared to the items being sold in the open market. Special price magistrates have also not conducted any visits to the open market.

However, things at Shamsabad and Haideri Chowk Ramazan markets are better than the rest, as these markets are mainly visited by ministers and secretarles of the provincial government.

There are no arrangements for parking around the markets, and security arrangements also leave much to be desired. At the Committee Chowk, Shamsabad, Haideri Chowk and Octroi 22 markets, visitors parked their vehicles on the main road and pavement, causing a traffic jam.

Many residents have questioned the presence of these markets.

Mohammad Qamar, who visited the Committee Chowk market, said: `What is the purpose of the Ramazan bazaar? The Punjab government just acts as if it cares about the poor.The realsolution to inflation is to check market prices fixed by the government.

He said he bought onions and potatoes, but the stall owners added rotten onionsand potatoes to his purchase. He said the administration had left space for the stall owners to fool visitors.

Rashid Ali, a visitor to the Octroi 22 marl
`The prices of good quality fruit and vegetables are higher at the model bazaar, and substandard food is being sold to people at the Ramazan bazaar, he said.

He said he came to the Ramazan market to purchase fruits, vegetables and chicken, but opted to do his shopping from the model bazaar despite the higherprices.

PTI Punjab North`s former general secretary Zahid Kazmi told Dawn that the Ramazan Bazaar was a political stunt by the PML-N government, and an insult to the people queuing at the stalls for reasonably priced food items.

`In the past it launched sasti roti, but that ended due to corruption. Now the Ramazan Bazaar will soon end because it did not facilitate the average citizen,` he said.

Mr Kazmi said rather than setting up Ramazan markets, the government should force traders to bring down the prices of edibles. He said the marketprice list issued by the government has been useless because the government did not work to implement it.

Local PPP Rawalpindi chapter leader Shujaat Hussain Naqvi said the PML-N government had failed to bring relief to the average citizens.

`The Ramazan Bazaar is a drama to present the image of a poor-friendly government, but the people understand the drama and mostly avoid visiting these bazaars,` he said.

He too said if the local administration had implemented its official price list for edibles in the market there would be no need to establish special markets.