PHC seeks govt response to plea against price hike
Justice wiqar Ahmad issued notices to the respondents, including the chief secretary, provincial food secretary, and Halal Food Authority`s chairman, seeking their respective response to the petition of Peshawar resident Malik Ahmad Javed after holding a preliminary hearing.
It fixed March 18 for the next hearing.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments as well as deputy commissioners in the province to take immediate action against profiteers and hoarders, who, he insisted, were violating the law by not following the government`s price lists for essential commodities.
2024-03-15
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday directed the chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and chairman of the Halal Food Authority to respond within three days to a petition against `hike` in the prices of essential commodities and their `hoarding` in the current month of Ramazan.
A bench consisting of Justice Sahibzada Asadullah andThe petitioner requested the court to direct the governments and deputy commissioners to ensure that all shopkeepers, retailers, and service providers display the notified price lists for all essential items on their premises and service-providing units to avoid any inconvenience to the people.
He also sought the court`s orders for deputy commissioners to publicise fixed prices for essential goods in print, electronic, and social media, and ensure their display at the required places to avoid ambiguity and inconvenience to customers.
The petitioner also said that the court should also direct the federal and provincial govern-ments to devise `easy complaint and redressal mechanisms` so that the people could approach them for action against profiteers and hoarders.
The petitioner`s counsel, Abbas Khan Sangeen, pointed out that while the district administration had claimed to be fixing the prices of essential commodities, major food items were not available on the market at notified prices.
He said that the government had fixed the price of buffalo milk at Rs160 per litre but it wasn`t sold anywhere at that rate.
The lawyer contended that the administrative officers were mostly interested in photo sessions and that they weren`t present in the field to check profi-teering.
He argued that it had been a normal practice all over the world that essential food items and basic commodities were made available to the people at concessional and affordable rates during holy festivals like Christmas and Eid, and the month of Ramazan.
The counsel, however, said that regrettably, the people in Pakistan were subjected to exorbitant prices for all essential items on such occasions.
He said that currently, Pakistanis didn`t get basic items, including wheat flour, rice, eggs, pulses, edible oil and ghee, vegetables, fruits, milk, beef, mutton, and bakery items, at the prices fixed by the government.
