BAJAUR AGENCY: The local administration of Bajaur Agency has fixed prices of the essential items for the month of Ramazan after taking notice of the price hike in the region.
The decision to fix the prices of daily usage items was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Bajaur Agency Additional Political Agent, Irfanuddin Khan, here. Various senior officials of the administration, traders, shopkeepers and representatives of Bajaur Political Parties Alliance, consumer right activities, and journalists also participated the meeting. Matters related to business and trade activities, law and order situation and the strategy to maintain the prices of daily usage items, especially edible goods in the agency, during the holy month of Ramazan were also discussed in the meeting.
The representatives of Bajaur Political Parties Alliance, social activists and journalists informed the officials about the current increase in prices of several items. They pointed out that complaints regarding this increase in prices of daily use items, especially vegetables and fruits, were being raised but the administration hadn’t discharged its duty to control the situation.
The participants of the meeting briefed the officials about the fresh increase in prices of essential items and claimed that the prices of daily use commodities had increased up to 50 percent in the region, since the start of Ramazan. They were also of the view that the prices of all items had increased significantly in the region, during the past couple of days. However, the rates of fruits, vegetables, ice, meats and chickens have witnessed a two-fold increase due to the lack of check and balance. They asked the officials to take serious notice of an increase in the prices of various commodities in the tribal region. The Additional Political Agent also expressed his disappointment over poor arrangements and the measures to check the prices of daily use items in the region, during the holy month of Ramazan.
Irfanuddin Khan also showed anger over the concerned officials for the non-issuance of the official price list to the shopkeepers in order to keep control prices of all daily use items during the holy month of Ramazan. On the occasion, the APA assured the participants to use all efforts to maintain the prices of essential food items during Ramazan.
On the occasion, the prices of several essential food items, including fruits, vegetables, meat, chickens, rice, sweets and cool drinks were also fixed. It was decided in the meeting that the official price lists to the shopkeepers will be issued across the agency in the next two days.
It was also decided in the meeting that an action would be taken against those traders, who were found for violating the prices fixed by the administration. Media sources also said that the dealers and shopkeepers found to be involved in creating the artificial price hike would be brought to justice, no matter how powerful and influentially they may be. He also asked the relevant officials to immediately issue the official price list to all shopkeepers in the agency.
