THE Utility Stores Corporation (USC) was established in the 1970s with the aim of providing essential items at affordable prices. Yet, the success of Utility Stores remains debatable. The cost of running the stores on an outdated model, coupled with the slashing of government subsidies, has made the stores financially unviable and unsustainable.

People in urban areas now prefer weekly sasta bazaars where they have more variety available at a lesser price. In the rural areas, people living away from the highways avoid travelling long distances to buy items from these stores.

There are more than 5,000 such stores across the country and about 14,000 employees running them. One can imagine the financial loss in the deal.

Is there really a need to continue with these stores or should we think about reforming the USC to make it an important instrument of price moderation? Cdre (retd) Sajjad Ali Shah Bokhari Islamabad